Gonzaga Athletic Annual Report 2016

Gonzaga University Athletic Department 2015–16 ANNUAL REPORT

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GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

TABLE OF CONTENTS

2

AD Reflections

3

Academic Progress Rate

4

Our Will Is Strong

6

Men’s Basketball

8

Men’s Basketball Highlights

10

Women’s Basketball

12

Men’s Cross Country

14

Track

15

Shelby Mills

16

Women’s Cross Country

18

Men’s Golf

20

Women’s Golf

22

Women’s Rowing

24

Baseball

26

Women’s Soccer

27

Men’s Rowing

28

Women’s Tennis

29

Volleyball

30

Academic Excellence

32

Graduation Success

34

Honors & Awards

36

Life Skills

40

Marketing

Men’s Soccer

Men’s Tennis

41

Tickets

42

Financial Breakdown

45

Compliance

46

Bulldog Club

48

Holistic Approach

50

Staff & Coach Directory

52

Vision Statement

Photos courtesy of: Dorian Studio, Rajah Bose and Ryan Sullivan/Gonzaga University, HBO Sports, Rhett Hutchins, Hunter Lee, NCAA, Chris Oertell, Harry Pollard, Kyle Scholzen, Jennifer Smelko, Kyle Terada, Pat Tyson, Torrey Vail, West Coast Conference, and Mike Wootton.

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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AD REFLECTIONS Please join us in taking this opportunity to celebrate the achievements of our student-athletes and coaches within the pages of our annual report. These achievements were made possible by you, our benefactors, and carried out by the focus of an athletic department that strives for success in competition, in the classroom and in the community.

It has been a record-breaking year for Gonzaga Athletics, and we are focused on the continued growth and ascendance as a national standard for excellence. The world of intercollegiate athletics continues to grow and change, putting more pressure than ever before on universities to provide opportunities and support for student-athletes. Let us assure you that through strategic planning, dedicated execution and benefactor support, Gonzaga Athletics is well-positioned to exceed those expectations.

As we look back at the past year, student-athletes, coaches and benefactors all had a hand in helping GU break boundaries.

Gonzaga Athletics was recognized by the NCAA for having the nation’s highest percentage of teams—80 percent—earn Academic Progress Rate (APR) Public Recognition Awards. That means those 12 teams are in the top 10 percent of their respective sport when it comes to APR, which led to a total average of 998, tied with Dartmouth as the nation’s highest.

In competition, Gonzaga set numerous program-firsts and benchmarks. As you page through this report, you’ll read about the baseball team earning the first-ever at-large bid the NCAA Baseball Championship, and Bianca Pagdanganan becoming the first GU golfer—male or female—to earn a berth to the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships. There’s stories of the men’s basketball team returning to the Sweet 16 for the second straight year, all while being one of only three of those 16 to earn the NCAA’s APR Public Recognition Award. Runner Shelby Mills wrapped up her stellar career leading the GU women to a cross country West Coast Conference championship while winning the individual league crown. The WCC cross country title was one of four that GU won or tied for this season along with baseball, men’s basketball and women’s rowing.

In the classroom, the fantastic storylines continued with a record-breaking 90 student-athletes on the Spring semester President’s List (3.70–4.0) and 41 more on the Dean’s List (3.50–3.69). That combination of academic success led to a departmental-record grade-point average of 3.37 to finish out the academic year.

In the community, our teams continued to raise the bar in helping others. They combined to serve 28 local agencies for a school-record 3,033 hours. That service included visits to local elementary schools, volunteering for Habitat for Humanity, and hosting collection drives for Catholic Charities, among a numerous other events.

As you can see, we have a lot to be proud of when it comes to the achievements of our student-athletes and coaches, but we’re not done yet. With that comes our obligation to continue to provide them with the opportunities and tools to take that success to the next level, whether it is academic support, nutrition or training. We need your support to enhance our ability to deliver on those promises.

Thank you for taking the time to recount the memories and successes we enjoyed in 2015–16, be proud in the fact that you were a vital part of making it happen. We look forward to our continued partnership with you and many more great Zag moments.

Go Zags!

Michael L. Roth, Director of Athletics 2

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATE

ACADEMIC PROGRESS RATES (APR)

GONZAGA

WBB

MXC

WXC

Vanderbilt University

Georgetown University

Stanford University

Univ of Minn., Twin Cities

Seton Hall University

Columbia University

Rice University

Loyola University-Chicago

College of the Holy Cross

Bucknell University

Duke University

Davidson College

Colgate University

Northwestern University

Villanova University

University of Pennsylvania

APR

Yale University

900

University of Notre Dame

991

Brown University

992

Lafayette College

999 998 998 998 997 997 996 996 996 996 996 996 995 995 995 995 995 995 995 995 995 994 994 994 994 993 993 993 993 Gonzaga University

For the first time in school history, Gonzaga University earned an institutional APR of 998, matching Dartmouth University for the highest departmental APR amongst the 350+ institutions participating in the APR program. Instituted in 2004, the Academic Progress Rate (APR) program is a 1,000-point scale representing an institution’s retention and maintenance of their scholarship studentathletes’ academic eligibility and citizenship. APR rates are calculated every semester and are attached not only to institutions, but also to individual head coaches. The NCAA currently uses an APR score of 930 as its cut-off for acceptable retention and graduation of student-athletes; schools falling under that standard may be subject to NCAA penalties ranging from scholarship limits and/or reductions to potential elimination of postseason play opportunities. While Gonzaga once again led the West Coast Conference (WCC) with its departmental APR score, this year was exceptional for a number of reasons. Not only did GU lead the country with our institutional APR, but we are also especially proud to announce that Gonzaga University had the highest percentage of its athletic teams publically recognized for elite performance in the NCAA’s APR program with 80%, or 12 of Gonzaga’s 15 APR- eligible teams, earning distinction by scoring in the top 10th percentile within their respective sport.

Gonzaga programs recognized on this national stage include: baseball, men’s basketball, men’s soccer, men’s cross country,

HIGHEST DEPARTMENTAL MULTI-YEAR APRs 2014–15

Dartmouth University

The 2015–16 season was a banner year for success in the classroom for Gonzaga University student-athletes, one that will go down in the record books. The Athletic Department achieved a longstanding and widely sought-after goal: to earn the highest departmental APR in the country and become the national leader in the NCAA’s Academic Performance program!

1000

men’s track & field, men’s tennis, men’s golf, women’s basketball, women’s cross country, women’s track & field, women’s golf, and women’s tennis. What is more, men’s basketball was one of only three programs in the country to advance to the Sweet 16 while simultaneously receiving recognition for their academic performance. Our men’s basketball team does not stand alone with their impressive accomplishments: GU’s baseball team also realized incredible success in both the classroom and the playing field as one of only eight NCAA tournament teams to earn APR distinction this year. Without a doubt, Gonzaga’s prominence in the APR program is a testament to the outstanding education and support provided to each and every one of our student-athletes by our coaches, faculty, and various support staff, and we couldn’t be more proud of the Zags who compete so successfully as both students and athletes!

BASE

MBB

MGOLF WGOLF WROW

MSOC

WSOC

MTEN

WTEN

VOLLEY WCC MULTI-YEAR AVERAGE

996

995 1000 1000 1000 1000 1000 989

997

997 1000 1000 994

998**

BYU

952

956

983

994

988

978

975

DNP*

DNP*

982

948

973

975

972

Loyola Marymount

974

939

980

994

991

973

DNP*

997

984

985

993

984

968

980

Pacific

982

965

1000

DNP*

971

972

DNP*

DNP*

977

971

987

976

1000

982

Pepperdine

962

950

968

978

1000

985

1000

DNP*

DNP*

990

984

1000

989

982

Portland

974

980

991

991

1000

DNP*

DNP*

984

994

976

942

971

973

980

Saint Mary’s

953

960

991

992

981

975

DNP*

966

990

979

939

946

1000

974

San Diego

947

971

992

954

994

992

DNP*

986

967

981

958

976

1000

978

San Francisco

941

939

983

988

995

959

991

DNP*

960

991

979

990

983

975

Santa Clara

969

985

986

970

1000

976

1000

1000

967

991

952

1000

983

984

WCC Average

965

964

987

984

992

979

993

986

980

984

968

982

987

981

NCAA Average

970

964

978

977

986

983

989

988

974

984

979

985

984

979

*Institution does not participate in this sport **Calculation includes WCC sponsored sports only 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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OUR WILL IS STRONG “We’re at a real juncture right now in college athletics where a group of schools are going to move on and some of them are going to stay behind. And we certainly want to be the ones that move on.“

You saw it on the court, you see it in the classroom. Gonzaga Will is strong. In challenging times, when other universities struggle to find their place, Zag Nation rallies. Gonzaga is a school on the rise.

In October 2015, more than 1,200 Zags gathered together to launch Gonzaga Will: The Campaign for Our Future. Since then, there have been many milestones:

COACH MARK FEW

▶ O n Gonzaga Day, President Thayne McCulloh thanked the extraordinary generosity of Spokane residents Fritz and Jeanie Wolff, and their family, for a transformational gift within the campaign. Alumni in more than 25 cities joined together to celebrate what it means to be a Zag as we officially launched our Academic Innovation priority. Seattle Zags witnessed the first ever ZAGTalk, hearing from faculty and alumni about the academic vision of Gonzaga. ▶ O n Zags Give Day, nearly 1,500 Zags showed their belief in the university giving, with Board support, over $150,000 in just one day.

The largest fundraising campaign in Gonzaga’s history, Gonzaga Will is well on its way to paving the way towards our institution’s future in five key areas:

1) S cholarship Promise: The Will to Learn.

2) G lobal Engagement: The Will to Explore.

3) A cademic Innovation: The Will to Advance.

4) C ommunity Building: The Will to Serve.

5) L earning Environments: The Will to Expand.

With a $250 million goal, the Gonzaga Will campaign is no small feat. But just as with our tremendous athletic programs, we have quickly seen the belief that Zags have in this place made abundantly clear. Having raised $212 million from over 30,000 donors, we are nearly 85% towards our goal. This is tremendous. THIS is Gonzaga Will in action.

WITH YOUR HELP, WE WILL REALIZE THIS VISION FOR GONZAGA’S FUTURE. To learn more, visit gonzagawill.com.

WILL IN ACTION TO SEE GONZAGA BASKETBALL’S WILL IN ACTION DURING THIS EPIC SEASON, WATCH THE VIDEO AT http://gonzagawill.com/gallery/category/videos.

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GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

CENTER FOR ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENT

THE JESUIT RESIDENCE

FOUR CAPSTONE PROJECTS In the upcoming months, you will see and hear about four projects that will forever shape the future of this institution:

CENTER FOR ATHLETIC ACHIEVEMENT:

THE JESUIT RESIDENCE:

Located directly south of Martin Centre, the Center for Athletic Achievement will help student athletes succeed in competition, in the classroom and in the community, a mantra long held by Gonzaga’s Athletic Department. The 49,000-square-foot building will house student-athlete support services, a new weight room, nutrition center, basketball practice court, hall of fame and multiple meeting areas. This facility, combined with other spaces in the Martin Centre and McCarthey Athletic Center, will truly enhance the overall student-athlete experience.

Central to our mission as a Catholic, Jesuit institution, Gonzaga is committed to maintaining a thriving Jesuit presence for our community.

We must create a facility that serves as both a home and a spiritual haven for our Jesuit community. We propose to build a Jesuit Residence that will (1) serve as a living space for Jesuits in residence, (2) include reflective space to attract Jesuits seeking retreat, (3) provide appropriate office work and collaboration space for teaching and research, and (4) link the central life of the Jesuit community with the students and faculty.

THE MYRTLE WOLDSON PERFORMING ARTS CENTER: In 2015, Gonzaga University received the largest financial gift in its history. Miss Myrtle Woldson, an accomplished businesswoman, musician and philanthropist, has celebrated her love of the arts, music and student success with a $55 million gift to Gonzaga University. A significant portion of her gift will go towards the development of the Myrtle Woldson Performing Arts Center, a creative, collaborative space that includes a 750-seat theater, as well as practice and performance spaces for music, dance and theater. The Center will be located on the

north side of the Jundt lawn and will incorporate vistas of the river and many northwest architectural elements.

INTEGRATED SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING BUILDING: To meet growing student interest in STEM fields, a state-of-the-art Integrated Science and Engineering facility is a necessity. With increased classroom capacity, specialized equipment and cutting-edge labs, we can prepare the next generation of innovators, attract top-notch faculty and conduct industryleading research. Cutting-edge education requires a cuttingedge facility.

“Because Gonzaga believed in me, I will work hard every day, whether that’s on the court, or in the classroom.

I will work hard to be great in whatever I choose to do.”

KYLE WILTJER ‘16

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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MEN’S BASKETBALL The Gonzaga men’s basketball team put together one of the most fascinating seasons in program history in 2015–16. It featured trips halfway around the world and back with games in both Japan and the Bahamas, injuries to a key player, an HBO series and a team that just wouldn’t give in to the pressure and expectation.

As head coach Mark Few put it on the ceremonial stage at the West Coast Conference Tournament, “The streak is alive!”

That streak, of course, is Gonzaga’s now 18 straight seasons earning a bid to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship— better known as The Big Dance. It wasn’t an easy path for this Zags squad to get there either, but a reliable scorer, budding superstar and ever-improving guards hit their stride for a stretch run.

Despite putting together a respectable 22-7 overall record heading into the

regular season finale at BYU, ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi had Gonzaga in his “First Four Out” of the NCAA Tournament. GU still knew it controlled its own destiny, but a huge step toward that came in an end-of-game flurry in Provo and a dominating first two games of the WCC Tournament to set up a rematch with Saint Mary’s in the title game. With the all-important automatic bid on the line, the Zags were up against a Gaels team that had beaten them twice during the regular season, but a balanced scoring night that featured five in double figures quelled any notion that there might be a Dance without the Zags.

GU went on to easily handle Seton Hall in the NCAA First Round, 68-52, before putting together possibly its most complete game of the season in an 82-59 drubbing of Pac-12 Conference foe Utah in Denver, Colo. Gonzaga had its season come to an end just under a week later

ERIC MCCLELLAN

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GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

when Syracuse stormed back in the last five minutes for a 63-60 victory.

Gonzaga finished the season with a 28-8 record, the ninth-straight 25-win season and 19th straight with at least 20 wins.

The WCC regular season title (tied with Saint Mary’s) and WCC tournament title were GU’s fourth in a row each. The Sweet 16 appearance made Gonzaga one of just six teams in the nation to make a return to the NCAA Tournament second weekend from 2015. Even more impressive is that GU was one of only three teams that earned the NCAA Public Recognition Award for APR score and advanced to the Sweet 16.

Senior Kyle Wiltjer and sophomore Domantas Sabonis had to carry the load for GU, especially after losing senior center Przemek Karnowski to a back injury for the season. Karnowski has since received a medical hardship waiver from

the WCC and announced he’ll be back for a repeat senior season.

Wiltjer led the team with 20.4 point per game and his 736 total points this season is the fourth-highest single-season point total in Gonzaga history. He also led the team with 90 three-pointers, tied for sixth all-time at Gonzaga, and was second on the team in rebounding at 6.3 per game. In two years at Gonzaga, he scored 1,374 points, which ranks in the school’s top 20 all-time.

Wiltjer earned Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention, All-WCC First Team and NABC All-District First Team honors.

Sabonis, who also earned AP All-America Honorable Mention, All-WCC First Team and

KYLE DRANGINIS NABC All-District First Team honors, ranked second on the team at 17.6 points per game and led the WCC with 11.8 rebounds per game (No. 6 nationally) and 23 doubledoubles (No. 5 nationally). He was second in the league with a .611 field goal percentage and scored in double figures 32 times with 20-plus in 12 of those contests. His 426 rebounds on the season ranks as the highest single-season total at Gonzaga in the Division I era (1958-present) and the third-highest ever.

In addition, Sabonis was also named a CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team honoree as well as a CoSIDA Academic All-District first-teamer and a WCC All-Academic first-teamer.

TIED FOR THE

4TH

LONGEST

ACTIVE STREAK IN THE NCAA

DOMANTAS SABONIS

KYLE WILTJER

NCAA TOURNAMENT

18

consecutive

APPEARANCES

ADVANCED TO THE

6th

sweet 16 IN PROGRAM HISTORY

FACTS AND FIGURES ▶ W ith 28-8 record, had 9th straight season

▶ E ric McClellan was named WCC Defensive

▶ O ne of two teams in NCAA to win opening-

▶ D omantas Sabonis and Kyle Wiltjer were

▶ H ead coach Mark Few is the winningest

▶ E arned an All-WCC First Team selection for

with at least 25 wins, and 19th straight season with at least 20 wins

round game of NCAA Tournament for 8th straight season (Kansas)

active coach in NCAA Division I by percentage with a mark of .808 (466-111)

Player of the Year, the 7th Zag to receive the honor named Associated Press Honorable Mention All-Americans the 31st straight season, Few has had a First Teamer in all 17 seasons as head coach

▶ D omantas Sabonis was named to the

Academic All-America Second Team, the 8th Zag to receive Academic AA honors 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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HBO One of the original “Cinderella” stories of the NCAA’s March Madness, Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team has put its name squarely on the college hoops map since that historical run in 1999. But, what many people haven’t seen is the work that goes on behind the scenes by the players and staff. This past season HBO Sports teamed up with WME/IMG to show exactly that in a five-part series called “Gonzaga: The March to Madness.”

The series, which was an all-access, 24-7 show, gave college basketball fans an inside look at what happened in practice, in the lockerroom, on the floor and even in the everyday lives of the team. Filming began with the Zags early in the season and ramped up as Gonzaga made its run toward the Big Dance. Throughout the story, GU was able to weave in pieces of its history and how it got to the national recognition level that it has now achieved, all while keeping focused on making the NCAA Tournament.

them,” noted Mark Shapiro, chief content officer, WME/IMG. “The Zags are a team with incredible leadership, dedicated players and a history like no other. Having spent months documenting their journey, we could not be more excited to share this unique, all-access story in partnership with HBO.” The series was a hit across the board, keeping Gonzaga’s name in the national conversation, and what played out on the floor made for an unprecedented look at the everyday grind that players and coaches endured in the final days of the season.

Gonzaga entered its final game of the regular season at BYU as a team in ESPN Bracketologist Joe Lunardi’s “First Four Out”, but a dramatic win in Provo, followed by a dominating performance in the WCC Tournament, gave Gonzaga the automatic berth into the NCAAs and gave HBO a fantastically climactic series finale.

FACTS AND FIGURES

“Every March, Gonzaga rallies the global basketball community around

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▶ E ach original episode airing Tuesdays during 5-week run averaged

105,000 viewers

▶ C ounting original airs, re-airs and online platforms, viewership totaled

nearly 1 million

▶ Viewership numbers grew with each episode ▶ E pisodes are currently available on online platforms, which allows

HBO’s 42 million subscribers domestically and 90 million subscribers internationally to have access to watch the shows

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

“We are always looking for fascinating stories that will appeal to our subscribers, and this project shined a spotlight on one of the most successful basketball programs in America.

Gonzaga University has built a tremendous program, but so many of its accomplishments and backstories are largely unknown.”

RICK BERNSTEIN EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, HBO SPORTS

TOP 5 VENUES Anyone who has attended or played a game inside the McCarthey Athletic Center knows that “The Kennel” is one of the rowdiest basketball arenas in the nation, and word continues to spread to those who haven’t ever been inside its walls. In January 2016, NCAA.com named the The Kennel on its college basketball list of “5 venues every hoops fan must attend.”

The Zags are 162-13 inside McCarthey since the venue opened to begin the 2004–05 season and a big reason why is the atmosphere created by the 6,000 fans in attendance every night since its inception. The Kennel Club, Gonzaga’s student section makes up 1,200 of that capacity crowd and leads the way in keeping the home team amped from the opening tip. The student section runs baseline to baseline opposite the team benches in the first 15 rows, and puts GU’s noisiest supporters right on top of the action.

The NCAA.com list puts The Kennel alongside Indiana’s Assembly Hall, Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium, Kentucky’s Rupp Arena and Kansas’ Allen Fieldhouse.

“Gonzaga supporters are some of the loudest in all of college basketball, and it’s tough to match their game-day atmosphere.”

NCAA.COM

AFC-N7 In addition to playing one of the toughest non-conference schedules in the nation this season, Gonzaga was invited to be a part of two fantastic early season events in the Armed Forces Classic and Nike’s N7 Initiative.

The Armed Forces Classic brings premier college basketball games to our nation’s troops wherever they are stationed around the world. Through five years, the U.S. Department of Defense and ESPN has presented the Armed Forces Classic in a rotation among bases of the various military branches, which serve as host locations. Gonzaga and Pittsburgh took part in the 2015 event to open the college basketball season at the U.S. Marine

Base Camp Foster in Okinawa, Japan.

The Camp Foster Fieldhouse filled up with 3,000 troops and their families, but condensation on the floor made the conditions tough for both teams and the game was ultimately called at halftime. Throughout the week in Okinawa, Zags players were able to take part in base activities with the troops including tours of military helicopters, rifle-range training and meals in the base mess hall.

Gonzaga and Nike N7 partnered on Wednesday, Nov. 18, for the men’s basketball game against Northern Arizona in celebration of Native American Heritage

Month. As part of the event, the Bulldog men’s basketball team wore turquoise uniforms against NAU, which is a color symbolic of friendship and harmony in Native American cultures. N7 is Nike’s long-time commitment and mission to inspire and enable two million Native American and Aboriginal youth in North America to participate in sport and physical activity. The N7 philosophy embraces the Native philosophy: “In every deliberation we must consider the impact of our decisions on the next seven generations.”

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL The Gonzaga women’s basketball team fought through adversity to advance to their 10th consecutive appearance in the postseason. The Zags’ 2015–16 season was riddled with key injuries and several close games.

Gonzaga was selected as the favorite for the third straight season in the West Coast Conference preseason coaches’ poll. Shelby Cheslek and Elle Tinkle were both named to the preseason All-Conference team.

GEORGIA STIRTON

The Zags opened the regular season with an 88-35 victory over Air Force in Spokane.

The 53-point winning margin was the fourthlargest in program history and the largest since GU beat Whitworth 114-40 on Nov. 14, 2010. The Bulldogs then battled with then-ranked No. 14 Stanford in front of a sellout crowd in the McCarthey Athletic Center. A late run pulled the Cardinal away with the win.

Gonzaga reeled off three straight victories, including a win over nationally-ranked West Virginia in the Hall of Fame Challenge.

Freshmen Jill Barta and Laura Stockton both scored 14 points in the first-ever meeting between WVU and the Zags.

Following a cross country trip to Connecticut that included a matchup against North Carolina and a trip to the Basketball Hall of Fame, GU won back-to-back games at home over Wyoming and Montana State. In front of another sellout crowd in Spokane, Stockton had the unique opportunity to faceoff with her sister, Laura, in the 65-52 victory over Montana State.

The Bulldogs hit their stride over a stretch of December and early January, winning seven consecutive contests, despite losing Tinkle and Emma Wolfram to season-ending injuries.

Gonzaga started the streak with a 57-47 big road win at Dayton. In a game that the Zags never trailed, Gonzaga stifled Dayton on its own court. A 30-point win at Colgate preceded a 5-0 start to West Coast Conference play.

On Dec. 23 at Loyola Marymount, Cheslek broke the program’s career block record.

Her record-setting blocked shot came on a key stop with just 38 seconds remaining in regulation. It was her 29th block of the season and the 177th in her four-year career. She finished the season with 65 blocks and 213 in her career.

After scoring 25 points on 64 percent shooting from the field against San Francisco and Santa Clara, Georgia Stirton was named the West Coast Conference Player of the Week on Jan. 4. In the following game, Stirton and the Zags overcame a 17-point deficit in a road win at Portland. It was the largest deficit overcome in a victory during Lisa Fortier’s two seasons.

Ten of the Bulldogs’ 18 league games were decided by single digits, leaving fans on the edge of their seats for the entirety of contests. The conference regular season

RANKED

FACTS AND FIGURES

3RD

10

2ND

SELLOUT GAMES

AVERAGE ATTENDANCE

5

5,604

93.4%

BEST IN PROGRAM HISTORY

▶ 5 94 new season tickets sold ▶ R anked 12th nationally in attendance (averaged 5,604 fans)

during the regular season

▶ 2 nd best average attendance in program history

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

ATTENDANCE PER CAPACITY DURING THE REGULAR SEASON

▶ 9 5% season ticket renewal rate ▶ 4 ,358 season tickets sold / 1,525 accounts

NATIONALLY

SHELBY CHESLEK

program record and seventh all-time in WCC history

213

SHANIQUA NILLES title race went into the final week, with a logjam in the top-half of the league. The highlight of the season may have come on Senior Day in the Kennel. Gonzaga upset No. 22 BYU, 73-55, in front of the sixth sellout crowd of the season. GU outscored the Cougars 33-13 in the final period and closed the game on a 19-5 run.

Following the regular season, Barta became the first Gonzaga women’s basketball freshman to be named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team in eight years. She was one of two freshmen listed on the prestigious postseason team, and the first in the league since GU’s Courtney Vandersloot in 2008.

Barta’s 463 points ranks second for most points scored in a single-season by a freshman at Gonzaga. She led the West Coast Conference shooting 91.1 percent (82-of-90) from the free-throw line in league play. Her 294 points in conference action were the most scored in a single season ever by a GU player. Barta was the first freshman in program history to lead a team in scoring in a season averaging

SHELBY CHESLEK 14 points per game. The Fairfield, Mont., native became only the third freshman in program history to score 30 points in a game, dropping 31 points at Pacific on Feb. 20. She finished the season with four double-doubles.

Cheslek was tabbed honorable mention All-WCC. In conference play this season, she was third in the WCC averaging 8.6 rebounds per game, sixth with a 47.9 field goal percentage, and second blocking 1.9 shots per game. The Pullman, Wash., native was also named to the conference’s All-Academic Team. Kiara Kudron, Shaniqua Nilles, Stirton, Emma Stach, and Tinkle were all honorable mention.

Gonzaga was seeded fifth in the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas. The Zags suffered their third onepoint loss over a four-game span in the WCC Tournament quarterfinals to Santa Clara.

The Bulldogs were selected to the Women’s National Invitation Tournament field and cruised to a first round win over UC Riverside, 88-54. Gonzaga matched

career blocked shots its season-high scoring output and had its best shooting percentage (56.1) in the last two seasons. The Zags’ season came to an end with a second-round loss to Utah.

Gonzaga graduated four seniors, including Cheslek, who finished her career seventh in the conference history in career blocked shots. She is also second in program history with 932 rebounds. The West Coast Conference did approve a medical hardship waiver for Tinkle, making her eligible to compete for the Zags in 2016–17.

Tinkle was one of 60 student-athletes across the nation named as a candidate for the Senior CLASS Award in January. The award goes to student-athletes who excel both on and off the court with notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.

ELLE TINKLE

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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MXC 12

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY MATTHEW CRICHLOW

1ST

QUALIFIER IN PROGRAM HISTORY FOR THE NCAA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS Gonzaga’s men’s cross country team broke through in 2015 as Matthew Crichlow became the first Zag to run in the NCAA Cross Country Championships. He climbed 34 spots over the final 5,000 meters to finish in 134th place. The senior’s time of 31:16.8 was a new personal record by 13.5 seconds, and was also the 10th-fastest time on the program’s 10K all-time list.

Crichlow qualified for the national championships after his 18th-place finish at the NCAA West Regionals in Seattle with a time of 31:30.3. His finish was the best for the Zags in the past 20 years. Troy Fraley followed closely behind in 23rd place

VINCE HAMILTON

with a time of 31:39.9. For their efforts, Crichlow and Fraley were both named AllWest Region.

The Zags finished 10th in the region, matching their finish last season. GU had its lowest point total (253) in program history.

Gonzaga hosted the West Coast Conference Championships for the first time ever. The Bulldog men placed third with 83 points. It was the lowest point total for Gonzaga since 2004’s secondplace finish with 66 points. It was also the first time in nine years that the Zags have scored under 100. GU placed third at last year’s championships as well.

At Plantes Ferry Park, Fraley was named All-WCC First Team with a ninth-place finish in a time of 25:12.5. Crichlow finished 16th at 25:36.0. Vince Hamilton (25:40.9) and Kyle Branch (25:45.6) were 18th and 19th. Jack Pearce completed the GU scoring in 25th with a time of 26:01.6.

Earlier in the season, Fraley led the Bulldogs to a first-place finish at the Inland Empire Challenge in Lewiston, Idaho. He crossed the line in fourth place. The GU men cruised to the team win with only 17 points, well ahead of second place Eastern Washington’s 59.

At the Washington Invitational in Seattle, the Zags had eight new entries into their program’s all-time 8,000-meter top-20 list.

Fraley was seven seconds off of the school record with a time of 23:39. Branch (23:57) and Crichlow (24:04) also ran top-five times. Overall, the GU men had 11 new 8K PR’s at the UW Invitational.

Following the season, Crichlow was named to the All-Academic Team by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA). The GU men were recognized as an All-Academic team for the second straight season as well. The Gonzaga men had a 3.25 cumulative GPA.

TROY FRALEY 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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TRACK The Gonzaga women’s and men’s track programs enjoyed another successful year of competition in 2016. The Zags continue to build on two of the fastestrising programs in the West Region.

GU capped the season by sending multiple representatives to the NCAA West Preliminaries for the fourth straight season. Maggie Jones, Kellen Manley and Shelby Mills all ran for Gonzaga in Lawrence, Kan. Read about Mills’ accomplishments at right.

Manley finished 12th in his heat of the men’s 3,000-meter steeplechase, slightly ahead of his 13th seed. The sophomore placed 31st overall in the 48-runner field, after entering the prelims seeded 39th. Jones surprised the women’s 5,000-meter field with a 19th-place finish in the region. She was a late addition to the prelims and was seeded 48th entering the race. The senior capped off an incredible career at Gonzaga with an eighth-place finish in her heat, well above her 24th seed coming into the race.

The Bulldogs began the year with the indoor-season-opening University of Washington Preview and the Vandal Invitational. The men’s 4x800-meter relay team of Conor McCandless, Mason Villarma, Ian Goldizen and Sumner Goodwin shattered the program’s previous best mark by seven seconds with a time of 7:44.69.

Two weeks later on the same track, Jordan Thurston ran the fastest-ever 5,000-meter time by a GU freshman. Her time of 17:12.86 inside the Dempsey

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KYLE BRANCH

KELLEN MANLEY

Center ranks fourth on the program’s all-time list.

three seasons, with the top four coming in the last two years.

For the third time in the season, Troy Fraley broke the Gonzaga men’s indoor 3,000-meter program record. The junior ran a 7:57.16 on the second day of the Husky Classic in the Dempsey Center.

The junior later had the incredible experience of running in the USATF Indoor Championships inside the Oregon Convention Center. He was the firstever Zag to run in the prestigious event, and was the lone collegian in this year’s men’s 3,000-meter race. The Kalispell, Mont., native placed 14th with a time of 8:09.13.

At the Oregon Relays, the Gonzaga men took the top two spots in the 3,000-meter steeplechase. Manley and Kyle Branch went from fourth and fifth to third and fourth on the GU all-time list with their finishes. Jones ran her 5,000-meter NCAA West Preliminary qualifying time of 16:28.29 as well.

The Zags opened the outdoor season at the Buc Scoring Invite at Whitworth University. Mills won the women’s 5,000 meters with the third-fastest time in program history at 16:25.81. The GU men swept the top six 5,000-meter spots led by Goodwin’s first-place finish at 14:53.17. Jones dominated the 1,500-meter field en route to a first-place finish, before placing second in the 800 meters. In the men’s 10,000 meters, Jack Pearce led a top-four sweep of Zags.

Matthew Crichlow broke the men’s 10,000-meter school record at the Mt. SAC Relays. Crichlow, who set a previous personal best of 30:07.27 at last season’s Mt. SAC Relays, crossed the line at 29:45.54 this year. Seven of the current top-10 Gonzaga men’s 10,000-meter times have been set at the Mt. SAC Relays, including all of the top-five marks. Of those seven Mt. SAC marks, they all have been set in the past

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Villarma ran the third-fastest 1,500-meter time in Gonzaga men’s track program history at the Oregon Twilight. The freshman crossed the line at 3:46.26, which nearly qualified him for the NCAA West Prelims.

Manley then ran his NCAA qualifying time at the West Coast Invitational in Salem, Ore., on May 12. His time of 8:57.75 was nearly five seconds faster than his previous personal record.

Following the season, Jessica Mildes was named to the Academic All-District 8 team in Division I women’s track and field and cross country by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She boasts a 4.00 cumulative grade-point average with a major in accounting.

Gonzaga women’s assistant coach, Rachel Jaten, placed 49th in the marathon at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Out of 200 runners from across the country, she finished with a time of 2:46:35.

PROGRAM RECORDS SET 6: NEW

BY GONZAGA TRACK IN 2016

4 program records

OWNED BY MILLS

SHELBY MILLS

Following an unbelievable cross country season, Shelby Mills continued her success on the track during the indoor and outdoor seasons. After becoming the first studentathlete in school history to run at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships last year, she returned to the national event in 2016.

Mills finished an incredible season by placing 17th in the nation in the 3,000-meter steeplechase in Eugene, Ore. On June 9, she had the opportunity to compete at historic Hayward Field, the most prominent track and field facility in the country. The track has been home to numerous U.S. Olympic Trials, the Junior World Championships, and will host the World Championships in 2021.

the Dempsey Center. Two weeks earlier, the Snohomish, Wash. native snapped Lindsay Drake’s three-year-old 3,000-meter mark with a 9:35.31 finish at the UW Invitational in Seattle.

Mills’ track season came on the heels of a West Coast Conference individual title in cross country. She was named the conference’s Runner of the Year and helped guide the Zags to the team title, while also being named GU’s Female Senior Athlete of the Year.

Mills automatically qualified for the 3,000-meter steeplechase national semifinals with a second-place finish in her heat at the NCAA West Preliminaries in Lawrence, Kan. Her time of 10:09.76 was eighth overall in the three heats of the 48-runner field.

The redshirt junior entered the NCAA West Preliminaries with the sixth-best seed-time (9:56.17) in the region and the second-fastest in her heat. She broke her own school record at the West Coast Invitational. Mills easily won the race on Willamette University’s Charles Bowles Track and was just three seconds off of an Olympic Trials qualifying mark.

Mills opened the outdoor season by winning the women’s 5,000 meters at the Buc Scoring Invite with a time of 16:25.81. The time was not only a personal record by nearly 13 seconds, but it is also the third-fastest time in program history.

During the indoor season, Mills smashed the 5,000-meter mark at the Husky Classic. She raced to a 16:25.35 finish in the elite field at

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY Plain and simple, the Gonzaga women’s cross country team had the greatest season in program history in 2015. The numbers can back that statement up.

The Zags finished the season by placing 25th in the program’s first-ever appearance in the NCAA Championships. GU qualified for its first-ever trip to nationals behind its highest-ever finish in the NCAA West Regional Championships, placing sixth. The Bulldogs’ No. 5 regional ranking was their highest in program history, and their No. 30 national ranking was the program’s first appearance in the national poll.

All of those accolades came after Gonzaga won the West Coast Conference title.

The Zags’ first-place finish was the first conference title in 20 years and only the second in program history. In front of a large contingent of supporters, GU won the championship at Plantes Ferry Park in Spokane. It was only the second time the event was held outside of California, and the first time in nine years Gonzaga University has hosted a conference championship in any sport.

Patty Ley was named the 2015 West Coast Conference Women’s Cross Country

AMELIA EVANS

Coach of the Year following the event. She became the first Zag to receive that honor since Kevin Swaim in 2000.

Shelby Mills became only the second Gonzaga runner to win the women’s or men’s conference title. Cheska Fairbanks also won the women’s title in 1996.

Mills led for the entirety of the race by a large margin. She created a gap from the 82-runner field and coasted to the title with a time of 20:55.7. The senior had an average mile of 5:36.6 and an average kilometer of 3:29.3.

At regionals, Mills placed seventh and was named All-Region. At nationals, she paced the Zag women, finishing 82nd.

The Snohomish, Wash. native was the top WCC finisher at both NCAA West Regionals and NCAA Championships.

The GU women were picked fourth in the conference preseason poll, the program’s highest ranking in 11 years. The Zags received one first-place vote in the poll, a first since 2005. Mills and Amelia Evans became only the third and fourth Zags alltime to appear on the All-WCC preseason team.

In the season-opening race at the Clash of the Inland Northwest, Julie Henling broke the program record for the fastest time over a 4,000-meter course with a time of 13:58.9. Evans was right behind, besting the previous record, with a time of 14:05.0.

Olivia Evans ran the sixth-fastest time in program history at 14:29.7.

Mills opened her season with a third-place finish at the Bill Dellinger Invitational.

Amelia Evans came in fourth place and Jordan Thurston placed sixth. The Bulldogs placed second as a team.

Gonzaga was also second in the West Coast Conference Preview/Erik Anderson Invitational. Running on the same course as the WCC Championships, Maggie Jones led a pack of Bulldogs with a second-place finish at 21:25.9. It was the first race of the season for the redshirt senior. Thurston crossed the line at 21:26.1 in third. In her first race of the season, Jessica Mildes placed eighth with a time of 21:40.0.

Then ranked ninth in the region, GU finished sixth at the elite Washington Invitational. Mildes led the Zags finishing 20th with a time of 20:25.3. Her time was

WXC the second-fastest in program history over a 6,000-meter course. Thurston was close behind at 20:30.5 in 30th. The sophomore smashed her personal record by 20 seconds and moved to fourth on the program’s 6K all-time list.

Following the performance in Seattle, Gonzaga moved to seventh in the region and won the Inland Empire Challenge. Mills led the Bulldogs with a third-place finish.

She finished the 5,000-meter course with a time of 16:56. She improved her own second-best mark in program history by 12 seconds. Mildes was a second behind in fourth. Mildes and Thurston finished with the third and fourth-fastest times in program history.

The conference championships followed, Mildes placed third with a time of 21:10.4,

while Thurston came in seventh at 21:20.4.

Both were named All-WCC First Team after their performances. Mills received her second straight First Team recognition after placing seventh last year. Gonzaga had three top-10 finishers for the first time since 2000. Jones (22:05.2) and Amelia Evans (22:12.4) rounded out the GU scoring in 23rd and 25th.

Mildes joined Mills on the All-Region team after placing 21st place at the NCAA West Regionals with a time of 21:09.4.

In the classroom, the women’s cross country team was led by Mildes, who earned CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team honors, as well being one of 20 women with a perfect 4.0 GPA on the USTFCCCA All-Academic list. She was also joined by Mills on that All-Academic list.

JULIE HENLING JORDAN THURSTON

“It was a crazy goal and we did something crazy.”

JORDAN THURSTON on finishing 25th at the national championships.

Mildes and Henling earned WCC Academic All-Conference honors, while Mills and Thurston were both honorable mention.

GU’s team was also recognized by the USTFCCCA, as they achieved the 34thbest GPA on the 205-team list.

MAGGIE JONES

2015 GREATEST SEASON IN PROGRAM HISTORY 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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MEN’S GOLF The 2015–16 Gonzaga men’s golf team celebrated one of the best seasons in program history. The Zags’ 296.73 team scoring average for the season was the third-lowest in program history.

Gonzaga finished the 2015–16 season with their lowest round total of the season. The Bulldogs’ three-under 285 total jumped them up to fifth on the team leaderboard at the West Coast Conference Championships on the Lakeside Course at the Blackhawk Country Club. The Zags finished the WCC Championships 16-over (880). The three-round total matches the second-lowest outcome of the season.

Sean Walsh led Gonzaga in a tie for 14th on the individual leaderboard at two-over

(218). Ryan Gaske finished in 17th at four-over (220). David Ganz and Tyler Munetake both shot up the leaderboard with season-low rounds. Ganz tied for 20th after a 70 (-2) finish on Day 3. Munetake finished his first conference championships by firing a season-low 69 (-3). The freshman was six-over (222) in 23rd place.

On the final day, Munetake climbed 12 spots on the individual leaderboard, while Ganz rose 10 spots.

Earlier in the season, the Bulldogs posted an 870 team total at the Wyoming Cowboy Classic. The outcome was 10th-lowest team 54-hole total in program history. GU finished at six-over-par in the tournament, after opening with a season-low 286 (-2) in the first round.

Gonzaga finished third at the Bill Ross Intercollegiate in the fall. The Zags were 24-over (888) as a team at the event in Kansas. GU made 43 birdies and went seven-under (4.88) on the course’s par-five holes.

Following the season, Gaske and Walsh were tabbed WCC Academic All-Conference. Gaske appeared in nine events and played 27 rounds. His season average of 75.48 was the second-lowest on the team. The junior’s relative to par was four-over. He had two top-20 finishes.

The Sport Management major boasts a 3.75 GPA. Will Brueckner, Ganz and Angus Montgomery were all named Academic All-WCC honorable mention.

SEAN WALSH Sean Walsh finished his incredible four-year career as a Gonzaga men’s golfer in a tie for 17th with a two-over (74) final round at the NCAA Championships Tucson Regional in Marana, Ariz., on May 18.

Walsh became the second golfer in program history to qualify for the NCAA Championships. James Fahy was the first last season, finishing 62nd at the Bremerton Regional at 10-over-par.

Walsh had the best season in program history in 2015–16. His 71.55 season average is the lowest-ever at GU by nearly two strokes. The lone senior on this season’s roster also owns the lowest career average at 73.14.

Walsh was the first golfer in GU history to be named the West Coast Conference Player of the Year. He shared that title with Saint Mary’s Jonathan De Los Reyes this season. He finished in the top-20 in each of the 12 events he played and became

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GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

the first Bulldog in eight years to take medalist honors at a tournament, winning the Saint Mary’s Invitational. The Keller, Texas, native later won the Wyoming Desert Invitational. He had four top-10 finishes and three top-five finishes this season. Walsh finished at par or better in 20 of the 33 rounds he played this season.

Walsh, a Business Administration major, was also named to the WCC All-Academic Team for the second time in his career. He tied for 14th at this year’s conference championship at twoover (218) in the tournament. He finished 10th at last year’s championship and was named honorable mention All-WCC. In 2014, he was also honorable mention after an 11th-place finish in the WCC Championships. Walsh nearly won the championships in his first season in 2013, placing third and being named the WCC Freshman of the Year.

MG SEASON SCORING AVERAGE FOR MEN’S GOLF, WHICH RANKS THIRD IN PROGRAM HISTORY

296.73 “It’s truly been a privilege for me to be a witness to it.”

RECORDS AND HIGHLIGHTS

GU MEN’S GOLF HEAD COACH ROBERT GRAY said about Sean Walsh’s career at Gonzaga.

▶ Second player in GU men’s golf history to make NCAA Regionals (James Fahy in 2015) ▶ Lowest single-season stroke average (71.55) in Gonzaga program history ▶ Lowest career stroke average (73.14) in Gonzaga program history ▶ F irst GU golfer in eight years to take medalist honors at an event, winning two events in

2015–16

▶ Received All-America Scholar Award ▶ Named All-WCC in 2014, 2015, 2016 ▶ WCC Freshman of the Year in 2013 ▶ Named Academic All-WCC in 2015 and 2016 ▶ 10 top-10 finishes in his GU career ▶ Ranked in first Arnold Palmer ratings in 2016 ▶ 2015 North and South Amateur champion ▶ 2015 Saguaro Amateur champion ▶ First Zag to ever play in three straight U.S. Amateur Championships

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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WOMEN’S GOLF The Gonzaga women’s golf season was capped off by a fantastic NCAA Championship berth from Bianca Pagdanganan and a WCC title-winning performance from Ciera Min. Those two led the Zags through another successful season for GU as the program continues to build a strong foundation.

shooting 66 (-6) during the final day to storm up the leaderboard. With Min’s timely performance and Pagdanganan’s 3-under-par 69, the Zags climbed up to No. 2 on the final day, finishing just three strokes behind champion BYU and ahead of Pepperdine for the first time in WCC Championships history.

Pagdanganan’s run began with the hottest start to a golf tournament in program history at the NCAA Bryan Regional where she was 8-under through 36 holes and was able to grab one of three individual spots after the three-round regional tournament.

Their score of 887 (+23) at the conference tournament was the second-lowest of the season. Combined with Min’s win, the Zags have taken three of the last five individual conference titles: Alice Kim took home league medalist honors in 2014 and current GU assistant coach Victoria Fallgren won the WCC individual title in 2012.

Just a couple weeks prior, she teamed with four other Zags to help Gonzaga end the year with a thrilling second-place finish at the WCC Championships in April.

Min made a remarkable run at the WCCs and won the individual conference title with the best round in program history,

CIERA MIN

In all, four different Zags led the team during tournaments this year. Pagdanganan was the most frequent squad-topper, leading the way at five tournaments, while

Min was the highest-ranking Bulldog in two. Senior Raychelle Santos was the best-scoring Zag at the Las Vegas Collegiate Showdown, while sophomore Dania Uy led the way at the Dr. Donnis Thompson Invitational for her second career top-20 finish.

Gonzaga said goodbye to just one senior this year as Santos wrapped up a solid career for the Zags. She played every round of the regular season and tied for eighth at the Bay Area Intercollegiate, her 17th career top-10 finish. She leaves Spokane with the second-most top-10 finishes and second-most wins in program history.

Two Zags were recognized for their academic prowess from the West Coast Conference. Min was named WCC AllAcademic for the second year in a row while Santos picked up All-Academic Honorable Mention accolades.

RAYCHELLE SANTOS FINISHES FOR SANTOS 17: TOP-10 DURING HER CAREER AS A ZAG

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GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

BIANCA PAGDANGANAN The Gonzaga University women’s golf team may have saved its best for last this year, but freshman Bianca Pagdanganan played her best all season long, driving her way to a historic postseason run for the Zags.

Pagdanganan became the first Gonzaga golfer— male or female—to compete in the NCAA Championships this year, earning the historic berth at the NCAA Regional in Bryan, Texas.

During that Regional, Pagdanganan got out to the hottest start to a tournament any Bulldog has ever seen, taking a program record 136 strokes (-8) through the first two rounds. She advanced past the regional by tying for eighth in the tournament at 214 (-2), the Bulldogs’ lowest individual tournament score of the season.

On her way to the win at the Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational, she posted an opening round 69 and then birdied the final hole of the tournament at Sahalee Country Club to win by one stroke. It was just the second collegiate tournament of her career.

From there, the top 10s rolled in as she placed no worse than eighth in six of her next eight tournaments leading up to the NCAA Championships. Pagdanganan opened the spring season with a fourth-place finish at The Gold Rush in Seal Beach, Calif., then followed that up with a fifth-place finish at the Bay Area Intercollegiate in Fairfax, Calif. She earned WCC Co-Freshman of the Year honors for her spectacular rookie season.

FACTS AND FIGURES

The Quezon City, Philippines, native competed in the Bryan Regional after earning the Zags’ first individual berth to the postseason. She topped the squad with four top-five and six top-10 finishes, including a win at the prestigious Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational last October. Her 73.21 stroke average also set a program record, eclipsing the previous mark by two-thirds of a stroke, and she finished among the top 25 in eight of 10 tournaments played.

▶ B ecame first GU golfer—male or female—to compete in NCAA Championships ▶ W CC Co-Freshman of the Year ▶ F irst women’s golfer to compete at NCAA Regionals as an individual ▶ Broke program record with 73.21 stroke average for the season ▶ F inished in top 10 in six of 10 tournaments, including four top-fives and one win ▶ Finished even or under par in five of 10 tournaments ▶ Had four rounds in the 60s with a season-best 67 at the NCAA’s Bryan Regional ▶ Named to the Bryan All-Region Team by the WGCA, Gonzaga’s first-ever All-

Region recipient

▶ Named West Coast Conference Golfer of the Month for February

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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WOMEN’S ROWING For the second straight year, Gonzaga women’s rowing head coach Glenn Putyrae led his squad to unprecedented heights. It was the culmination of some of the finest individual careers in GU rowing history and an insatiable desire to move the program to the next level.

The Zags broke program marks for highest finish at the NCAA Championships placing 16th and national ranking at No. 15, and even won their third WCC title in the last four seasons. The story of how they got there is even more impressive.

GU entered the season fresh off a previous program-high 17thplace finish and No. 17 national ranking in 2015, but its group of seniors set out to show the rowing world that this program was there to stay. Over the course of the season, GU captured victories over Washington State and Oregon State, along with a team win at the Portland Fall Classic before taking on the nation’s heavyweights at the Lake Natoma Invitational and the San Diego Crew Classic. Both regattas featured six other teams ranked in the top 20, including the likes of then-No. 1 Brown and eventual national champion California. GU held their own, placing second or third in numerous races across all boats over the multi-day events.

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GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

That all prepared them for another down-to-the-wire battle at the West Coast Conference Championships that had the all-important NCAA automatic-qualifying spot on the line.

At the WCCs, Gonzaga’s Varsity 4 and Second Varsity 8 each finished second behind San Diego, putting all the pressure on the Varsity 8 boat to come in first and claim the team victory. A bit of hard luck in the form of an overhead crab had held the Second Varsity 8 back near the beginning of the race, setting the table for the final race of the day. GU’s Varsity 8 knew that a victory would bring them into a team tie with San Diego in points and by virtue of the victory, the Zags would take the tiebreak and auto-bid to the NCAAs. The GU V8 led most of that final race and held off the Toreros down the stretch with a strong finish to earn the victory by just under four seconds with a time of 6:25.8.

Gonzaga also swept the WCC’s individual awards with Kara Soucek earning Rower of the Year honors for the second straight year, Karly Dougherty winning Coxswain of the Year honors for the second straight year and Lauren English earning Newcomer of the Year honors. Head coach Glenn Putyrae was also named Coach of the Year for the second straight year.

In addition, Soucek, Brooklyn Beeler, Devyn Bell and Ingrid Stansberry were named All-WCC. GU also placed 15 on the WCC All-Academic lists and five on the CRCA National Scholar-Athlete lists, while Soucek was named to the CRCA All-Region 5 First Team.

Then at the NCAAs, GU’s V8 finished second in the C Final and 14th overall, while the 2V8 was fourth in the C Final and 16th overall—both rank as the highest finishes in their boat class in

WR

program history. In addition, Gonzaga’s Varsity 4 took home the win in their D Final race to place 19th overall. Following the season, assistant couches Kari Durgan and Marisa Wortman were named the CRCA Region 5 Staff of the Year.

3:

WCC TITLES AND NCAA CHAMPIONSHIP BERTHS IN THE LAST FOUR SEASONS

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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BASEBALL

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The Bulldogs were truly road warriors during the 2016 baseball season, playing 40 of 50 regular season games away from Spokane, but they battled through the adversity and the travel to earn an at-large berth to the NCAA Baseball Championships.

during the regular season and 18-9 in West Coast Conference play. The Bulldogs tied for the regular season league title, their third WCC pennant in the last eight years.

That share of the league title qualified the Zags for the WCC Championships, where they reached the tournament final.

Prior to this season, the Zags hadn’t advanced to the NCAA Tournament since 2009. The at-large berth to postseason play was the first in program history, and Gonzaga has now made nine appearances in the NCAA Baseball Championships, two of which have come during the current Super Regional format.

After being selected to the NCAA Championships, GU made the trip south to Fort Worth, Texas, to take part in the Fort Worth Regional. The Zags opened with a win over Arizona State, and nearly pulled off the upset against nationally-ranked TCU in a thriller before dropping a rematch against ASU.

En route to that at-large berth, Gonzaga tallied a 36-21 overall record, going 33-17

The Zags went 23-14 in road games, tying for the second-most road victories in the

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

country. They swept four road series on the year—two in conference play—and picked up road wins over teams such as Arkansas, TCU, Saint Mary’s, BYU, and Washington, in addition to others.

Plenty of Zags earned individual honors for their play during the 2016 season.

Redshirt junior Jeff Bohling was named WCC Player of the Year after finishing among the conference’s top five in nearly every offensive category during WCC play. Brandon Bailey, Tyler Frost, and Eli Morgan joined Bohling on the All-WCC First Team, while senior Taylor Jones earned All-WCC Second Team honors.

Two more, Justin Jacobs and Jace VanDeBrake, also were recognized by the WCC.

5TH BEST ATTENDANCE vs WSU April 4

1,512 fans

4TH BEST ATTENDANCE

HIGHEST ATTENDED SERIES

vs Portland April 8

Portland Series April 8–10

1,533

3,724

fans

fans

PATTERSON BASEBALL COMPLEX & WASHINGTON TRUST FIELD

BSB Despite their road-heavy schedule, the Zags were stalwarts in both the community and the classroom as well. The team combined for nearly 800 hours of community service during the 2015–16 school year, and Jones was a finalist for the Senior CLASS Award, presented to a senior from across the nation who best exemplifies success in the classroom, in the community, in character, and in competition.

Jones also earned CoSIDA Third Team Academic AllAmerica honors, while he, Bailey, and Joey Harris earned spots on the WCC All-Academic team.

The Zags also set or tied several program records during 2016. The pitching staff combined for 501 strikeouts, shattering the former record of 422 set six years ago, while the hitters smacked 130 doubles, breaking the program record during the eighth inning of the season finale. Jones hit 27 of those doubles, tying the program mark for twobaggers. Gonzaga’s 36 wins were the program’s most since 2009 when they also won 36, and the Zags capped the year by seeing a record six players selected in the 2016 MLB Draft.

JEFF BOHLING JOEY HARRIS

BRANDON BAILEY 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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WOMEN’S SOCCER Despite playing one of the toughest schedules in the country in 2015, Gonzaga boasted some impressive marks this past season. Karley Baggerly recorded a brace against Vanderbilt, scoring both goals in the second half to force overtime. She followed that performance by scoring a goal and getting an assist in a 3-1 win over Bakersfield.

Aliyah Miller scored a goal and had an assist as the Zags tied then-No. 25 Washington, 2-2. Christie Tombari made 14 saves in a 1-1 double-overtime draw at Saint Mary’s.

GU ended the season by taking nationallyranked Santa Clara to double-overtime.

Tombari led the West Coast Conference with 101 saves, an average of 5.32 per game. Her 101 saves rank ninth on the program’s all-time list for most saves in a single season. The redshirt junior is fourth in program history with 269 saves in her career, and sixth with a 1.53 goals against average.

Baggerly was tabbed Second Team AllWest Coast Conference. She was second in the WCC with eight goals in the regular

season, and was second in the conference averaging 1.47 shots on goal per game. Her 18 points this season were the third-most in the conference during the regular season, while her 52 shots were fifth.

Baggerly, who was also named Academic All-WCC, moved to fourth on the program’s all-time list with 18 goals scored in her career. The junior is also fourth on the all-time list with 45 points, and her 123 total shots are sixth in program history.

Baggerly’s eight goals and 18 points this season were both the sixth-most in a single season in GU history.

Miller was named honorable mention AllWCC. She totaled five points this season with two goals and an assist. She was a key part to the Zags’ midfield and defense in 2015. The junior started in all 19 games for GU this season, playing 1,741 minutes, the second-most of any field player.

MEN’S SOCCER Gonzaga’s men’s soccer team finished sixth in the West Coast Conference and placed four players on All-WCC teams, led by First Team selection Ben White. He’ll return for his junior season in 2016 alongside All-WCC Honorable Mention Jakob Granlund and WCC All-Freshman Team selection Garrett Wilson. Senior Conner Bevans also earned All-WCC Second Team honors for a Gonzaga squad that was 7-10-1 during the year, which included eight of the 10 losses coming by one goal.

GU began the season with a promising start to non-conference play, going 2-1-1 in its first four matches, which included wins over regionally-ranked Seattle University and Big Ten Conference foe Northwestern. The Zags also tied Cal Poly and suffered a tough overtime loss to NCAA Tournament competitor Hartwick.

26

HEATHER JOHNSON

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Heather Johnson became only the second Zag in program history to receive the Academic All-WCC honors three times.

She was the lone three-time member of the WCC’s team this year with a 3.77 GPA as a business major. She was tabbed AllWCC First Team last season after being named Second Team in 2013. She was named Preseason All-WCC this year, but battled an injury early in the season. The senior started all 58 Gonzaga games the past three seasons, and started 71 of the 72 games in her career.

Sarah Carter and Kristin Hayman joined Baggerly on the honorable mention Academic All-WCC list.

SAVES BY CHRISTIE TOMBARI IN WHICH TOPPED THE WCC 101 2015,

GU started conference play with a 2-1 overtime victory at Portland, but five straight league losses followed before ending the season with a 3-2 overtime win at Pacific. In the latter victory, Gonzaga scored the tying goal in the 89th minute, and the winning goal in the third minute of the first overtime period. Those two goals were less than four minutes apart.

In addition to the season-ending win, Gonzaga Soccer’s classroom accolades rolled in with five Zags being named to WCC AllAcademic lists led by Chris Lowrimore, who was also named the Gonzaga Male Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year with Men’s Rowing’s Connor Mitchell. Overall, 10 players were named to Gonzaga President’s and Dean’s List.

MEN’S ROWING Gonzaga’s men’s rowing team continued to build its program throughout the season and narrowly missed a berth to nationals during the spring season. The highlights of the year came with a trio of victories over regional rival Washington State, including two in the fall and one in the spring. In the latter two meetings with the Cougars, GU swept all four eight-man boats on the water.

The Zags also competed in the prestigious Kerr Cup in Philadelphia, Pa., posting a solid showing with a sixth-place finish in the finals in its top two boats.

MR BOAT VICTORIES 14: INDIVIDUAL THROUGHOUT THE COURSE YEAR

GU finished the season on a high note, placing in the top three in all three boats in the Western Sprints Regatta on Lake Natoma just outside Sacramento, Calif. The Second Varsity 8 placed second in its final race, coming in just six seconds off the lead.

The Zags also had a strong year in the classroom with 12 student-athletes on either the President’s List or the Dean’s List for the Spring 2016 semester. The four on the President’s List (3.70– 4.0 GPA) were Eric Engel, Connor Mitchell, Connor Murray and Zach Umsted. Mitchell was also named the Gonzaga Male Scholar Athlete of the Year at the Evening of Excellence ceremony.

NOTCHED FOUR OF ITS SEVEN 4: GONZAGA WINS ON THE YEAR AWAY FROM HOME

CHRIS LOWRIMORE

MS 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

27

MEN’S TENNIS After graduating five players from the 2014–15 roster, the Gonzaga men’s tennis team had a difficult 2015–16 slate, but the emergence of young talent will bolster the squad for the coming years.

The Zags welcomed four new players into the lineup during the dual season with freshmen Emilio Moreno, Ruadhan O’Sullivan, and Jordan Smith playing at three of the top four singles positions for most of the season and Ronzai Saurombe returning from a back injury to provide depth. O’Sullivan led the Zags with a 13-7 dual record—tied for second-best among freshmen in the West Coast Conference—while Smith claimed 17 overall wins, the most among WCC freshmen.

MT

Two Zags wrapped up their collegiate careers with conference academic awards as both Hayden Smith and Vicente Varas earned the first WCC All-Academic awards of their careers. Smith won 12 singles and 14 doubles matches during his senior year, while Varas posted eight individual wins and five with a partner.

Gonzaga played a tough schedule in 2016, squaring off against nine ranked squads. They took at least one point in six of those matches, including three in a near upset of No. 73 Pacific in

HAYDEN SMITH

VICENTE VARAS

February and the program’s first points off Washington in 15 years. Against the 35th-ranked Huskies, O’Sullivan and Jordan Smith each won a singles match for the Zags.

In all, the Zags went 5-15 on the year with four wins coming at The Stevens Center, two of them during WCC play.

MELANIE YATES

WOMEN’S TENNIS

Gonzaga women’s tennis saw its most successful season in program history in 2015–16, setting numerous records and program firsts.

The Zags’ 16-5 dual-match record was a program best, as were their 6-3 record and second-place finish in West Coast Conference play. They also won 11 consecutive dual matches, another school record, and picked up their first-ever win over BYU in a 4-2 thriller at home March 26. By virtue of their second-place finish, Gonzaga also

28

RUADHAN O’SULLIVAN

reached the semifinals of the WCC Championships, again a program first.

Individually, the numbers were just as impressive as the team marks. Senior Samantha Polayes became the Zags’ career singles leader, ending her career with 80 individual wins, while she and doubles partner Sophie Whittle shattered the single-season doubles wins record with 25. Freshman Domonique Garley won the most singles matches in school history, prevailing 25 times between fall tournaments and dual play.

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

VOLLEYBALL After breaking through with a winning record in 2014, Gonzaga volleyball continued its momentum during the 2015 season, once again passing the .500 mark for the program’s first back-to-back winning seasons since 1989 and 1990.

Gonzaga posted the second-highest attack percentage in the WCC and program’s highest in over a decade at .251 this year. The Zags hit .400 or better in three matches and at least .300 nine times. They set a team record with a .489 hit percentage against Saint Mary’s, and Jordan Gasser set an individual school record at .714 in that same match.

Blinn didn’t just earn national honors; she was also voted to the WCC’s First Team for the third year in a row. Lauren Joseph and McKayla Ferris earned WCC All-Academic accolades, Joseph for the third time in her career, Ferris for the first; and Morgan Douglass and Paige Folger were named WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention.

To go along with their 16-15 overall record, the Zags went 7-11 in conference play. They opened WCC action with a 3-1 upset over No. 23 Pacific, and they closed out the weekend with their ultraefficient match against Saint Mary’s.

VB

Individually, senior Savannah Blinn capped off an illustrious career and once again earned AVCA All-America Honorable Mention honors, becoming the first Zag to do so in back-to-back years. Blinn was also the first Zag to win three All-Region honors and finished her career with 1,728 kills, the second-most in program history and most since rally scoring was adopted.

SAVANNAH BLINN

ATTENDANCE TOTAL INCREASED BY

SEASON TICKET SALES INCREASED BY

FAMILY PASS SALES INCREASED BY

42%

107%

210%

SISSI KOEHLER

10:

SCHOOL RECORDS OR PROGRAM FIRSTS SET IN 2015–16

Polayes and Whittle earned First Team All-WCC honors in doubles play, the Zags’ first all-conference doubles award, while Whittle picked up All-WCC Second Team—Singles honors for a strong freshman campaign individually. Polayes earned Honorable Mention accolades for her singles play as well.

Freshmen played a large role for the Bulldogs as four of the six singles spots were filled with collegiate rookies. Those four freshmen—Garley, Whittle, Nevada Apollo, and Graciela Rosas—totaled 87 wins and won 71.9% of their singles

matches this year. All four of them won at least 19 singles contests.

Equally as impressive, the Zags were just as good with their school work as they were on the court as four earned academic recognition from the conference. Polayes and Melanie Yates each earned WCC All-Academic honors, and both Sissi Koehler and Alex Bourguignon were named Academic Honorable Mention. Graduating with a 3.91 GPA and a biology degree, Yates was also named Gonzaga’s Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

29

ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE 90 STUDENT-ATHLETES ON PRESIDENT’S LIST (3.70+ SEMESTER GPA) IS AN ALL-TIME HIGH FOR ANY SEMESTER

ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICANS

As if the athletic accolades weren’t enough, Zag Nation has even more cause to celebrate the 2015–16 academic year, as our student-athletes broke through many longstanding GPA and University Honors records with their extraordinary efforts in the classroom. This Spring, GU recognized a record-setting 90 studentathletes who earned academic marks high enough to qualify for the University’s President’s List (semester GPA of 3.70 to 4.0). The previous record of 72 President’s List honorees was broken earlier this year with 81 Zags earning this distinction following the Fall semester. Additionally, another 41 student-athletes earned Dean’s List (3.50–3.69) honors this past semester. Individually, 47 studentathletes earned WCC all-academic honors throughout the academic year, eight Zags received regional and/or national all-academic

30

DOMANTAS SABONIS Second Team Academic All-American

TAYLOR JONES Third Team Academic All-American

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

team honors, and men’s basketball standout Kyle Wiltjer was named Scholar Athlete of the Year by the I-AAA Athletic Directors’ Association and the WCC Mike Gilleran Scholar-Athlete of the Year in addition to being named a Second Team Senior CLASS Academic All-American for his exceptional academic, athletic and community achievements. As a result of these record setting individual academic performances, we are very proud to once again recognize that all of our programs posted team GPAs over 3.00 for the 2015–16 academic year, with Men’s Basketball (3.26) and Volleyball (3.51) setting new team records during the Spring semester. Last, but certainly not least, the Athletic Department earned the highest departmental GPA on record this Spring, with every one of our athletic programs contributing to an impressive 3.37 semester GPA overall, besting the previous Department high of 3.31, which was posted in the Spring of 2015.

3.37 GPA

HIGHEST DEPARTMENTAL SEMESTER IN GU HISTORY

JESSICA MILDES Third Team Academic All-American

TEAM

SPRING GPA

DEAN’S LIST

PRESIDENT’S LIST

EVENING OF EXCELLENCE BASEBALL

3.16

3

2

MEN’S BASKETBALL

3.26

2

3 BREAKING

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

3.30

1

5

MEN’S XC/TRACK

3.34

4

6

WOMEN’S XC/TRACK

3.57

5

17

Volleyball’s Lauren Joseph was presented

MEN’S GOLF

3.66

2

3

the Leadership Award and women’s

WOMEN’S GOLF

3.19

1

1

MEN’S ROWING

3.18

8

4

WOMEN’S ROWING

3.43

6

18

MEN’S SOCCER

3.28

3

7

Athletes of the Year. Women’s cross

WOMEN’S SOCCER

3.57

5

13

country and track student-athlete Shelby

MEN’S TENNIS

3.48

-

3

WOMEN’S TENNIS

3.46

-

2

VOLLEYBALL

3.51

1

6 BREAKING

DEPARTMENT

3.37 41

tennis player Melanie Yates was named the Female Scholar Athlete of the Year.

Men’s rower Connor Mitchell and men’s soccer player Chris Lowrimore (not pictured) were named Co-Male Scholar

Mills was named the Female Senior Athlete of the Year. Men’s basketball’s Kyle Wiltjer was named Male Senior

SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Athlete of the Year (not pictured).

RECORD

SPRING GPA

RECORD

SPRING GPA

90

KYLE WILTJER DI-AAA ADA Scholar Athlete of the Year

SHELBY CHESLEK DI-AAA ADA Scholar Athlete Team

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

31

GRADUATION SUCCESS As this hallmark year came to a close, we celebrated 61 graduating Zags, 15 of whom graduated with University honors, and 23 new inductees into Chi Alpha Sigma, the National College Athlete Honor Society.

32

61

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Suffice to say, we are both proud of and thankful for such an admirable graduating class of Zags who so expertly demonstrated success in both their academic and athletic careers here at Gonzaga. They’ve provided an inspirational model for all of our underclassmen and helped create the culture of academic success that has come to define what it means to be a Zag.

AMONG THE NATION’S

BEST! NCAA’S GRADUATION SUCCESS RATE (GSR)

98% We are proud to note that our performance on the NCAA’s Graduation Success Rate (GSR), which factors in transfer students and those students who departed Gonzaga while still eligible for competition, increased to a remarkable new best at 98 percent. The NCAA will release national GSR data in Fall 2016, and given this banner year, Gonzaga will be amongst the top ranking universities in the nation for Graduate Success Rate.

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

33

NAME

SPORT

RECORDS AND AWARDS

NAME

SPORT

RECORDS AND AWARDS

Emmy Allen

Volleyball

GCU Invite All-Tournament Team Jayhawk Classic All-Tournament Team

Tyler Frost

Baseball

Karley Baggerly

W Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention All-WCC Second Team

All-WCC First Team WCC Championships All-Tournament Team All-West Region Second Team

David Ganz

M Golf

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Brandon Bailey

Baseball

USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Watch List NCAA Fort Worth All-Region Team All-WCC First Team CoSIDA Academic All-District Team WCC All-Academic Team WCC Championships All-Tournament Team WCC/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week (Mar 7)

Domonique Garley

W Tennis

Set season singles wins record WCC Singles Player of the Week (Apr. 26)

Ryan Gaske

M Golf

WCC All-Academic Team

Jordan Gasser

Volleyball

WCC Player of the Week (Sept 28) Northwest Challenge All-Tournament Team

Jakob Granlund

M Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention All-WCC Honorable Mention

Joey Harris

Baseball

WCC All-Academic Team Johnny Bench Award Watch List

Kristin Hayman

W Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Julie Henling

W Cross Country

WCC All-Academic Team Set 4,000 meter course record

Justin Jacobs

Baseball

All-WCC Honorable Mention

Anna Johnson

W Rowing

CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Team WCC All-Academic Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Heather Johnson

W Soccer

WCC All-Academic Team

Maggie Jones

W Track

Qualified for NCAA West Preliminary Round in 5,000 meters

Taylor Jones

Baseball

Senior CLASS Award Finalist CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team NCAA Fort Worth All-Region Team Tied season doubles record All-WCC Second Team WCC All-Academic Team CoSIDA Academic All-District Team WCC/Rawlings Player of the Week (Mar 14) All-West Region Second Team

Jill Barta

W Basketball

All-WCC First Team WCC All-Freshman Team

Brooklyn Beeler

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) All-WCC First Team

Devyn Bell

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) WCC All-Academic Team All-WCC First Team

Isabelle Belzil

W Rowing

CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Team WCC All-Academic Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Conner Bevans

M Soccer

WCC Player of the Week (Oct 12) All-WCC Second Team

Savannah Blinn

Volleyball

All-America Honorable Mention All-Pacific North Region First Team All-WCC First Team Northwest Challenge All-Tournament Team

Jeff Bohling

Baseball

WCC Player of the Year All-WCC First Team All-West Region First Team

Alex Bourguignon

W Tennis

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Dustin Breshears

Baseball

Brooks Wallace Award Midseason Watch List WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Hannah Brown

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Lauren Joseph

Volleyball

WCC All-Academic Team

Sam Brown

Baseball

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention WCC Championships All-Tournament Team

Przemek Karnowski

M Basketball

Preseason All-WCC Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Watch List

Will Brueckner

M Golf

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Shaylee Kieffer

W Rowing

Sarah Carter

W Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

WCC All-Academic Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Colton Cavey

M Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Sissi Koehler

W Tennis

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

WCC All-Academic Team All-WCC Honorable Mention D1-AAA ADA Women’s Scholar Athlete Team Set career blocked shots record

Kiara Kudron

W Basketball

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Patty Ley

W Cross Country

WCC Coach of the Year

Chris Lowrimore

M Soccer

WCC All-Academic Team Gonzaga Co-Male Scholar Athlete of the Year

Kellen Manley

M Cross Country/ Track

Qualified for NCAA West Preliminary Round in 3,000 meter steeplechase

Olivia Marsh

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) WCC All-Academic Team WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8)

Shelby Cheslek

M Cross Country/ Track

USTFCCCA Academic All-American USTFCCCA All-West Region Set 10,000 meter record Qualified for NCAA Cross Country Championships

Jalen Crisler

M Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Megan Dennison

W Rowing

WCC All-Academic Team

Micailah Donner

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (2nd Varsity 8) WCC Crew of the Month (April) (Varsity 8) WCC All-Academic Team

Meghan McCallum

W Rowing

Eric McClellan

M Basketball

WCC Defensive Player of the Year

Karly Dougherty

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) WCC Coxswain of the Year

Jessica Mildes

W Cross Country

Morgan Douglass

Volleyball

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention Gonzaga Invitational MVP

Kyle Dranginis

M Basketball

WCC All-Academic Team

USTFCCCA Academic All-American WCC All-Academic Team CoSIDA Academic All-District Team All-WCC First Team USTFCCCA All-West Region CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team

Kari Durgan

W Rowing

Region 5 Staff of the Year

Aliyah Miller

W Soccer

WCC All-Conference Honorable Mention

Shelby Mills

W Cross Country/ Track

USTFCCCA Academic All-American WCC Runner of the Year All-WCC First Team USTFCCCA All-West Region WCC Runner of the Month (November) WCC Runner of the Month (October) WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention Gonzaga University Athletes of the Year Set 3,000 meter steeplechase record Qualified for NCAA West Preliminary Round in 3,000 meter steeplechase Qualified for NCAA Championships in 3,000 meter steeplechase Set 3,000 meter indoor record Set 5,000 meter indoor record USFTCCCA All-America Honorable Mention

Matthew Crichlow

34

W Basketball

Lauren English

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8) WCC Newcomer of the Year

Lindey English

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

McKayla Ferris

Volleyball

WCC All-Academic Team Gonzaga Invitational All-Tournament Team Jayhawk Classic All-Tournament Team

Paige Folger

Volleyball

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Troy Fraley

M Cross Country/ Track

Set 3,000 meter indoor record All-WCC First Team USTFCCCA All-West Region

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

HONORS & AWARDS NAME

SPORT

RECORDS AND AWARDS

NAME

SPORT

RECORDS AND AWARDS

Ciera Min

W Golf

WCC Conference Championship Medalist All-WCC First Team WCC All-Academic Team WCC Golfer of the Month (April)

Emma Stach

W Basketball

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Ingrid Stansberry

W Rowing

WCC All-Academic Team All-WCC First Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Georgia Stirton

W Basketball

WCC Player of the Week (Jan 4) WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Jordan Thurston

W Cross Country

All-WCC First Team WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Elle Tinkle

W Basketball

Senior CLASS Award Nominee Preseason All-WCC WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Maddie Turbes

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8) WCC All-Academic Team

Jace VanDeBrake

Baseball

WCC All-Freshman Team

Vicente Varas

M Tennis

WCC All-Academic Team

Madeleine Verspieren

W Rowing

WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8) CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Team WCC All-Academic Team

Sean Walsh

M Golf

WCC Golfer of the Month (February) WCC Co-Player of the Year All-WCC First Team WCC All-Academic Team Set season stroke average record Set career stroke average record NCAA Regional Individual Qualifier PING All-West Region Team Saint Mary’s Invitational Medalist Wyoming Desert Invitational Medalist

Connor Mitchell

M Rowing

Gonzaga Co-Male Scholar Athlete of the Year

Angus Montgomery

M Golf

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Eli Morgan

Baseball

All-WCC First Team WCC/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week (Apr 11) WCC/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week (May 23)

Cheryl Murbach

W Rowing

WCC All-Academic Team

Shaniqua Nilles

W Basketball

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Bianca Pagdanganan

W Golf

NCAA Championships/Individual Qualifier NCAA Regional Individual Qualifier WCC Co-Freshman of the Year First Team All-WCC Edean Ihlanfeldt Invitational Medalist WCC February Golfer of the Month WGCA All-Region Team Set season stroke average record

Josh Perkins

M Basketball

WCC All-Freshman Team

Samantha Polayes

W Tennis

All-WCC First Team, Doubles All-WCC Honorable Mention, Singles WCC All-Academic Team Set for career singles wins record Set for season doubles wins record WCC Singles Player of the Week (Mar 15) WCC Doubles Team of the Week (Mar 15) WCC Doubles Team of the Week (Apr 12)

Glenn Putyrae

W Rowing

WCC Coach of the Year

Lily Rorick

W Rowing

CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Team WCC All-Academic Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Ben White

M Soccer

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention All-WCC First Team

Sophie Whittle

W Tennis

All-WCC First Team, Doubles All-WCC Second Team, Singles Set for season doubles wins record WCC Doubles Team of the Week (Mar 15) WCC Singles Player of the Week (Mar 29) WCC Doubles Team of the Week (Apr 12)

Garrett Wilson

M Soccer

WCC All-Freshman Team

Kyle Wiltjer

M Basketball

CBSSports.com Preseason Player of the Year WCC Player of the Week (Nov 30) WCC Player of the Week (Feb 1) WCC All-Academic Team Senior CLASS Award Semifinalist Senior CLASS All-America Second Team James H. Naismith Top 50 Oscar Robertson Trophy Midseason List John R. Wooden Midseason Top 25 Karl Malone Award Finalist AP Preseason All-American (top vote-getter) SI.com Preseason All-American NCAA.com Top Five Seniors Preseason All-WCC All-WCC First Team Associated Press All-America Honorable Mention NABC All-District First Team Honors WCC Tournament Most Outstanding Player D1-AAA ADA Men’s Scholar Athlete of the Year Gonzaga Male Student-Athlete of the Year WCC Mike Gilleran Scholar Athlete of the Year

Marisa Wortman

W Rowing

Region 5 Staff of the Year

Melanie Yates

W Tennis

Gonzaga Female Scholar Athlete of the Year WCC All-Academic Team

Hailey Rousseau

W Rowing

WCC All-Academic Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Domantas Sabonis

M Basketball

WCC Player of the Week (Nov 23) WCC Player of the Week (Dec 21) CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-District Team WCC All-Academic Team Campus Insiders Weekly “Best of the West” James H. Naismith Top 50 Oscar Robertson Trophy Preseason Watch List John R. Wooden Midseason Top 25 Kareem Abdul Jabbar Finalist Preseason All-WCC Olympic Qualifier (w/Lithuanian National Team) All-WCC First Team AP All-American Honorable Mention NABC All-District First Team Honors NCAA All-Tournament Team for Midwest Region

Raychelle Santos

W Golf

WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention

Hannah Schneiderman

W Rowing

CRCA National Scholar-Athlete Team WCC Crew of the Month (April) (2nd Varsity 8)

Faith Smith

Volleyball

MVP of GCU Invite

Hayden Smith

M Tennis

WCC All-Academic Team

Jordan Smith

M Tennis

WCC Singles Player of the Week (Mar 29)

Kara Soucek

W Rowing

CRCA All-America First Team WCC Crew of the Month (Mar) (Varsity 8) CRCA All-Region 5 First Team WCC All-Academic Team WCC Rower of the Year All-WCC First Team

Isabella Spies

W Rowing

WCC All-Academic Team

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

35

LIFE SKILLS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

The Life Skills Program strives to educate student-athletes on areas essential for their athletic, academic, and personal success. Student-athlete wellness was addressed during the 2015–16 year through the following programs:

YOGA & MINDFULNESS

ALCOHOL EDUCATION

APPLE

A collaboration between the departments of Sports Medicine, Strength and Conditioning, and Student-Athlete Support Services led to the introduction of the first-ever yoga program for student-athletes. Light yoga was available to all student-athletes, four nights per week, in both the fall and spring. This program was introduced to provide an environment free of stress, encouraging relaxation and mindfulness. It also included sessions specific to flexibility and stretching for injury prevention.

Jenna Parisi, Assistant Director of Wellness and Prevention Education in Gonzaga’s Center for Cura Personalis (CCP), presented to all freshmen student-athletes in September, providing an interactive session that included anonymous polling and discussions on the truths and myths of campus culture. The effects of alcohol on muscle mass and athletic performance were also discussed, and 200 Gonzaga student-athletes were surveyed on their substance use at the annual Spring Tailgater, an alcohol-free S.A.A.C. event.

The data will be used in enhancing future substance use education programs.

The APPLE Conference, developed and coordinated by the Gordie Center for Substance Abuse Prevention at the University of Virginia, is the leading national training institute dedicated to substance abuse prevention and health promotion for student-athletes and athletics department administrators. In January, three studentathletes and Gonzaga Athletics’ Life Skills Coordinator attended the 24th annual APPLE Conference in Grapevine, Texas, where they shared the programming and culture of Gonzaga and developed an action plan and goals to better Gonzaga Athletics in the area of mental health resources.

The APPLE team helped to implement a 270-response mental health survey and hopes to use this data to improve mental health awareness and resources for all student-athletes.

LOCAL AGENCIES SERVED

28 total

3,033 TOTAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH HOURS FALL 2015

1,892 SPRING 2016 36

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

1,141

LOCAL SCHOOLS Opportunity Elementary Meadow Ridge Elementary Evergreen Elementary Prairie View Elementary Brentwood Elementary Colbert Elementary Shiloh Hills Elementary Midway Elementary Farwell Elementary St. Charles School Moran Prairie Elementary Cooper Elementary Centennial Middle School Garry Middle School

ZAG OF THE MONTH

SEPTEMBER

Kristin Hayman Women’s Soccer

JANUARY

Madeleine Verspieren Women’s Rowing

OCTOBER

NOVEMBER

Lauren Joseph Volleyball

DECEMBER

Melanie Yates Women’s Tennis

FEBRUARY

Sam Brown Baseball

MARCH

Jordan Thurston Women’s Cross Country

APRIL

Connor Mitchell Men’s Rowing

Brooklyn Beeler Women’s Rowing

STEP UP!

SPORTSMANSHIP

Step UP! is a pro-social behavior and bystander intervention program that educates students to be proactive in helping others.

Teaching people about the determinants of pro-social behavior makes them more aware of why they sometimes don’t help. The Step UP! Program strives to raise awareness of helping behaviors, increase motivation to help, develop skills and confidence to help and ensure well-being of self and others.

The WCC continued its REPRESENT sportsmanship campaign during the 2015–16 year. REPRESENT, launched during the 2010–11 year, includes the promotion of sportsmanship at each WCC campus and recognizes worthy teams and individuals for their display of good sportsmanship. This year, S.A.A.C. designated the annual Spring Tailgater—‘Baggo’ tournament and GU baseball game—as a REPRESENT event.

Now in the third year of the program, Step UP! is used in conjunction with the attitudes and expectations that are already pervasive in the Gonzaga student-athlete community.

Step UP! gives a name to what our studentathletes already do and gives recognition to those actions. Student-athletes received a Step UP! patch that served as a reminder to be a leader, help those around you, be a role model for others and do the right thing.

TOILETRIES

3,932 items

BRING IT HOME

A student-athlete selected as Zag of the Month exhibits effort and excellence in academics, leadership, integrity, campus involvement, community involvement, dedication to team, and the ability to serve as a role model for current and future GU students and student-athletes.

Each month S.A.A.C. nominates and selects one of their peers for the award.

DRIVES BENEFITING CATHOLIC CHARITIES 7TH ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE

MBB November 21

1,200 550

$

lbs

3RD ANNUAL WARM CLOTHING DRIVE WBB December 3

1,373 1,310

$

items

3RD ANNUAL DIAPER DRIVE WBB January 21

11TH ANNUAL BOOK DRIVE WBB February 25

1,601 $735 11,702 1,501 $

items

books

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

37

LIFE SKILLS CAREER DEVELOPMENT The Life Skills Program prepares studentathletes for their futures through a variety of career development programs and individual career counseling. Close relationships and collaboration with GU’s Career and Professional Development department and the Gonzaga Alumni Mentoring Program (GAMP) further support student-athletes with their career planning.

PRIDE

The fifth Senior Student-Athlete Resume Book was published this year, which features portfolios of the graduating class of 2016 to assist student-athletes in networking with GU alumni, supporters, and constituents as they pursue their future careers. The fourth annual Senior Networking Social was held in the fall, which serves as a great opportunity to practice networking and selfpromotion skills with athletic department constituents and invited guests.

STUDENT-ATHLETE ADVISORY COMMITTEE (S.A.A.C.)

2015–16 OFFICERS

S.A.A.C. is comprised of representatives from each Gonzaga athletic team whose main purpose is to serve as a student-athlete voice regarding student-athlete welfare within Gonzaga’s Athletic Department, the WCC, and the NCAA. S.A.A.C. hosts annual events to build camaraderie across all of Gonzaga’s intercollegiate

38

PRESIDENT

Lauren Joseph Senior Volleyball

VICE PRESIDENT

Cole Garcia Junior Men’s Rowing

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

SECRETARY

PRIDE is a friendly competition meant to promote mutual support and fellowship amongst the athletic teams that make up the Zag family.

PRIDE recognizes student-athletes’ commitment to Gonzaga’s mission of creating a “mature concern for others” through community outreach and service. In the fall, each team collectively decided what they would like to accomplish and set their PRIDE goal for the year, raising their goals from the previous year. Additionally, the overall departmental goal was decided on to challenge all current Zags to raise the bar even higher, to do more, and serve more, than ever before. Not only did all of the GU athletic teams meet their goal, but they passed the departmental goal by over 2,000 PRIDE points! Way to go, Zags!

teams. A Welcome Back Bowling Night, Student-Athlete Winter Formal, and a Baseball Tailgater and Baggo Tournament were improved and continued during 2015–16. S.A.A.C. is also integral to providing volunteer opportunities to student-athletes. The organization hosted annual collections at home basketball games benefiting Catholic Charities. In addition, S.A.A.C. representatives served as leaders and facilitators during the Fall 2015 New Athlete Orientation course for the freshmen student-athletes.

Macee Utecht Senior Volleyball

TREASURER

Connor Mitchell Senior Men’s Rowing

MEDIA & PROMOTIONS CHAIR

Sam Polayes Senior Women’s Tennis

CAMPUS COLLABORATIONS

Career Center Center for Community Action and Service—Learning (CCASL) Counseling Center Center for Cura Personalis Center for Student Academic Success Foley Center Library Gonzaga Alumni Mentor Program (GAMP)

STUDENT-ATHLETE LEADERSHIP INSTITUTE The Student-Athlete Leadership Institute, in its sixth year, is designed to further develop student-athletes’ leadership skills as students, athletes, and leaders on campus and in the community. Members were selected to participate in the

Gonzaga Student Body Association (GSBA) Leadership Resource Center GUEST Services Kennel Club Residence Life Student Development Office Sodexo

developmental program to further improve themselves as mentors and leaders on their respective teams and on the StudentAthlete Advisory Committee.

The 2015–16 Leadership Institute participated in team building exercises, behavior and leadership style assessments, and group discussion sessions. This year’s Institute was

focused on different aspects of leadership, particularly Servant Leadership through the reading of “Journey to the East”.

Participants also joined in taking the DiSC assessment, which helps them learn about their own personal leadership style. The DiSC is the leading personal assessment tool used to improve work productivity, teamwork and communication.

PARTICIPANTS: Alex Bourguignon (Sophomore, Women’s Tennis), Graham Wendle (Sophomore, Men’s Cross Country/Track), Brandon Pollard (Sophomore, Men’s Cross Country/Track), Calvin LeBrun (Sophomore, Baseball), Sam Brown (Redshirt Junior, Baseball), Connor Arend (Sophomore, Men’s Tennis), Bryce Dillon (Sophomore, Men’s Rowing), Olivia Marsh (Junior, Women’s Rowing), Meghan McCallum (Junior, Women’s Rowing), Ciera Min (Junior, Women’s Golf), Kaylie Loewen (Sophomore, Volleyball), Tianna Helm (Sophomore, Women’s Soccer), Jordan Thurston (Sophomore, Women’s Cross Country/Track), Claren Fraher (Sophomore, Women’s Cross Country/Track), and Kacie Bosch (Sophomore, Women’s Basketball).

MEDIA & PROMOTIONS CHAIR

Nick Brooks Junior Baseball

VOLUNTEER CHAIR

Christie Tombari Redshirt Junior Women’s Soccer

VOLUNTEER CHAIR

Heather Johnson Senior Women’s Soccer

STEP UP! COMMITTEE

Deanna Nielson Redshirt Senior Volleyball

STEP UP! COMMITTEE

Jordan Gasser Senior Volleyball

2015 –16 ANNUAL –16 ANNUAL REPORT

39

MARKETING The official Gonzaga University Athletics Department website, GoZags.com, features a number of ways for fans to stay up to date with the Zags. The website provides information about Gonzaga Athletics through news releases, game recaps, statistics, and video.

In June of 2015, Gonzaga Athletics partnered with CBSi Advanced Media to launch the new GoZags.com digital platform in a fully responsive design. The revamped site was unveiled on June 30th. The window to the world for Gonzaga Athletics, the front page of GoZags.com now features a calendar that provides an at-a-glance look of recent and upcoming Zag events. The site’s retooled menu structure makes it easier than ever to move within the site, with links to each individual sport’s roster, schedule, Twitter, Facebook, as well as ticket and Bulldog Club information all available from the top navigation bar on every page of the site. The site also makes getting the latest officially licensed Zag gear easier than ever with links to the online store.

The responsive site provides fans with an experience on a platform that maintains a consistent look and feel across desktop, mobile and tablet devices. Fans can purchase tickets, support the Bulldog Club, or purchase the latest Zag gear all through the mobile device. The new GoZags.com continues to utilize Gonzaga Athletics’ movement to a more content-driven presentation in an online environment that provides fans with endless Zag-centric information, news, photos, and videos across all 18 sports. Since the redesign GoZags.com has seen over one million unique visitors, over one million visits and over four million page views.

40

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

DROP DOWN MENU

AT-A-GLANCE CALENDAR

FAN ONLINE SHOPPING

SOCIAL MENU LIVE INTERFACE

EASY TO ACCESS LINKS

2015–16 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON TICKETS SOLD

4,358 MEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON TICKET HOLDERS UTILIZED NEW SYSTEM

70%

TICKETING In June of 2015, starting with Men’s and Women’s Basketball renewals Gonzaga Athletics rolled out the Paciolan/Spectra ticketing platform. This integration brought the opportunity to brand all ticket sales and donations as Gonzaga’s with a whitelabel website. The enhancements give customers a better buying experience with specialized accounts where they can update their contact information at the touch of their fingertips, purchase tickets via gozags.com/tickets and access their account on most mobile devices. They can also utilize an improved Print at Home option for single game purchases to save on will call wait times.

ONLINE SEASON TICKET RENEWAL

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SEASON TICKET HOLDERS UTILIZED NEW SYSTEM

80%

Customers were able to order tickets online for the WCC Tournament, Battle in Seattle, Anthony’s Banquet, Alumni Weekends and end-of-year Basketball Banquets on top of regular season events.

NEW DONATE AND PURCHASE PORTAL

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

41

FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN One annual goal of the Athletic Department is to develop and effectively manage a balanced operational budget, while at the same time grow current revenue streams and identify new revenue sources for Gonzaga Athletics.

Although operating costs continue to rise, the Athletic Department has once again operated within a balanced budget and continued to reduce debt. The ability to generate excess net revenue dollars to fund enhancements, while still making

ATHLETICS

REVENUE

both scheduled and additional payments towards its debt obligations, is a prime example of the Department’s commitment to operating in a fiscally responsible and disciplined manner.

Athletic Department growth has been consistent with that of the overall University, with enhancements coming through self-generated funds in the form of excess net revenues and philanthropic giving. Recent changes in

NCAA governance and the pressures to support student-athletes in a more direct manner have resulted in the need for additional funding to support these initiatives. Gonzaga Athletics has a multi-year plan to address the additional funding needs across all of our revenue channels. In 2015–16, the portion of the Athletics budget funded by the University represented 5.5% of the University’s overall operating budget (net of scholarships).

Institutional Scholarship Support

$4,697,790

Annual Giving (BDC, Sport Specific)

$3,505,122

Direct Institutional Support

$8,731,000

Ticket Sales

$2,385,341

Sponsorship and Media Royalties

$1,594,472

Merchandise Sales, Concessions & Catering

$247,680

Endowment Distribution

$299,624

Facility Rental

$59,615

Athletic Guarantees

$197,500

NCAA/WCC Distributions

$1,074,441

TOTAL REVENUE

20.61%

15.38%

38.31%

22,792,585

$

10.46%

7.00%

4.71%

1.09% 1.31% 0.26% 0.87%

The included numbers are based on current estimates. Final fiscal year records may vary.

42

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

ATHLETICS

EXPENSES

Personnel

$7,572,452

Scholarships

$4,156,320

Team/Administrative Travel

$2,896,638

Recruiting

$649,993

Uniforms & Equipment

$447,270

Game Guarantees

$429,307

Nutrition Program

$453,285

Athletic Officials

$151,661

General & Administrative

$1,744,724

Facility Operations

$1,227,319

Debt Service

$153,886

Debt Reduction & Reserves

$2,231,119

TOTAL EXPENSES

33.22%

21.21%

7.65%

12.71%

2.85% 1.96% 1.88% 1.99%

WHY IS BENEFACTOR SUPPORT SO CRITICAL?

22,792,585

$

5.39%

0.67%

9.79%

0.68%

Gifts are instrumental in providing critical funding to our talented student-athletes for the opportunity of a world-class experience—academically, athletically and socially.

NON-SCHOLARSHIP

EXPENDITURES

Funded by Institutional Support

$8,731,000

Funded by Athletic Revenues

$9,226,654

TOTAL EXPENDITURES*

17,957,654

$

*Excluding Scholarships

48.62%

51.38%

The included numbers are based on current estimates. Final fiscal year records may vary.

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

43

FINANCIAL BREAKDOWN A full scholarship at Gonzaga was valued at $53,297 for the 2015–16 school year, leading to a total scholarship expense in excess of $4.8 million. This is an ongoing expense that Gonzaga Athletics must fund from its annual budget.

Nonetheless, Gonzaga still lags behind the other nine member schools of the West Coast Conference in total athletically-related student aid and aid per participant. Gonzaga budgeted 111.6 scholarships towards the NCAA maximum of 149.2 scholarships allowed for sports in which Gonzaga competes, which leaves it 37.6 scholarships short of being a fully-funded program.

SCHOLARSHIP 2015–16 FULL SCHOLARSHIP AT GONZAGA WAS VALUED AT

53,297

$

8,000,000 7,500,000

ATHLETICALLY-RELATED STUDENT AID**

7,000,000 6,500,000 6,000,000 5,500,000 5,000,000 4,500,000 4,000,000 3,500,000

AID PER PARTICIPANT**

3,000,000 $4,750,381 BYU

$4,834,931 GONZAGA

$5,652,435 SMC

$5,847,974 SCU

$6,289,003 USF

$6,314,427 PEP

$6,425,434 PORT

$6,788,405 PACIFIC

$7,206,808 USD

$8,498,697 LMU

$7,552.28 BYU

$12,549.18 GONZAGA

$15,599.15 USD

$16,660.89 SCU

$18,841.45 SMC

$20,696.36 PACIFIC

$21,246.74 LMU

$23,975.50 PORT

$24,474.52 PEP

$30,980.31 USF

86.71 GONZAGA

94.16 SCU

94.75 PEP

98.71 SMC

100.38 PORT

103.52 USF

115.16 USD

134.39 PACIFIC

143.27 LMU

250.02 BYU

30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000

SCHOLARSHIP EQUIVALENTS*

300 250 200 150 100 50

*Based on West Coast Conference Scholarship survey for fiscal year 2014–15 **Based on 2014–15 EADA Report The included numbers are based on current estimates. Final fiscal year records may vary.

44

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

COMPLIANCE It is the shared responsibility of all those associated with Gonzaga Athletics— employees, student-athletes, individuals (“boosters”) and organizations promoting Bulldog athletics interests—to be in full compliance with NCAA, West Coast Conference and institutional rules.

According to NCAA rules, once an individual has been identified as an institutional “representative of athletics interest,” the individual retains that title for life. Gonzaga University is ultimately responsible for the behavior of all athletics representatives in relation to NCAA rules and regulations. Violations of NCAA regulations by an athletics representative could result in the loss of eligibility for involved student-athletes (e.g., no participation in competitions) and/or severe sanctions against the University (e.g., loss of scholarships, television bans and postseason bans) and/ or disassociation with that individual.

As a representative of athletics interest, there are rules to remember when it comes to assisting Gonzaga’s studentathletes. ► An athletic representative may not provide any type of extra benefit to a PROSPECTIVE, ENROLLED OR FORMER

STUDENT-ATHLETE or their family or friends. Examples of extra benefits include, but are not limited to: cash, gifts, loans or the co-signing of loans; a vehicle or use of a vehicle; payment for or arrangement of transportation; free or reduced cost goods or services; or free or reduced cost housing, concert or sporting tickets. An individual can become an athletics representative, if not previously identified as an athletics representative, if he or she provides such benefits. ► As an athletics representative, you may not be involved in recruiting a prospective student-athlete. A prospective student-athlete is a student who has started classes for the ninth grade or is enrolled at a two-year college. The only individuals that are permitted to recruit are Gonzaga’s coaching staff for each respective sport. Please forward the prospective student-athlete to Gonzaga Athletics for information regarding the athletic programs. ► An athletics representative may not employ or arrange for the employment of a prospective student-athlete until after he or she has signed a National Letter of Intent and has graduated from

high school. You may employ a current student-athlete provided he or she has registered the job with the athletic department compliance office and received approval to begin working. ► An athletics representative may not have in-person or telephone contact or written correspondence with a prospective student-athlete or their relatives. This includes leaving written messages for recruits on social media (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). If you have impermissible contact with recruits, penalties could be as severe as complete disassociation, meaning your relationship with Gonzaga Athletics could be terminated. ► ALWAYS ASK BEFORE YOU ACT. If you are unsure of any of the regulations between prospective or current student-athletes and athletics representatives, please do not hesitate to contact the Athletic Department compliance office.

Follow the NCAA rules and together we can ensure the success of Gonzaga Athletics. If you have any questions regarding NCAA rules or regulations, please contact the compliance office at compliance@gonzaga.edu.

1. Been a member of any organization promoting YOU ARE A REPRESENTATIVE OF GONZAGA’S ATHLETICS INTEREST IF YOU HAVE EVER:

Gonzaga’s athletic program (i.e. the Bulldog Club).

2. Made financial contributions to the Gonzaga University Athletic Department.

3. Been a season ticket holder in any sport.

4. Helped to arrange employment of or provided any benefits to prospective or enrolled student-athletes.

5. Promoted the athletic programs at Gonzaga University.

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

45

BULLDOG CLUB PURPOSE The Bulldog Club is the official annual fundraising organization dedicated to supporting Gonzaga Athletics. Members of the Bulldog Club empower our student-athletes and coaches with the necessary resources to be nationally competitive.

Specifically, donations to the Bulldog Club help enhance all aspects of the studentathlete experience including academic support services, athletic training, strength & conditioning, recruiting, travel and equipment. With your support, Gonzaga can continue to recruit, educate and train the best and brightest student-athletes.

This year 1,774 individuals and companies contributed to the Bulldog Club.

46

ZAGS GOLF CLASSIC The annual Zags Golf Classic at Manito Country Club continues to be one of the best opportunities for our coaches, staff, and studentathletes to meet many supporters that allow us to continue to operate as a premier athletics program. As is tradition, Gonzaga studentathletes and coaches from all the sports teams were on hand to interact with golfers throughout the course and thank them for their support.

The evening was capped off with a banquet that honored the 1999 Men’s Basketball team.

Participants were treated to a question and answer session with former players Ryan Floyd, Richie Frahm, Mike Nilson, and Matt Santangelo who reflected back on their storied run to the Elite Eight. This year the Zags Golf Classic netted over $33,000 dollars, funds that go directly to support the mission of the Bulldog Club and positively impact the student-athlete experience.

ANTHONY’S SCHOLARSHIP DINNER The Anthony’s Scholarship dinner continues to serve as the premier kickoff event for the men’s and women’s basketball seasons. This year both men’s and women’s basketball student-athletes

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

ONLINE DONATING PROVIDES CONVENIENT WAY TO SUPPORT STUDENT-ATHLETES

along with their coaching staffs mingled with donors while they enjoyed the fantastic food, beverages and view from Anthony’s at Spokane Falls. The event featured photos with Spike and silent and live auctions. The evening also included a question and answer session with Przemek Karnowski, Eric McClellan and Kyle Dranginis from the men’s team, and Elle Tinkle, Chelsea Waters and Georgia Stirton from the women’s team. The evening was capped off with an in-depth look at the upcoming basketball season by head coaches Mark Few and Lisa Fortier. The event this year grossed over $37,000 for the Anthony’s endowed scholarship.

INDIVIDUAL SPORT FUNDRAISING On top of the fundraising work done by the Bulldog Club, each sport assists in their own fundraising to help enhance their sport’s budget and impact the student-athlete experience.

Donors include parents, friends, fans, and alumni. Donations enhance budgets, pay for extra equipment, extra team travel and truly help impact the student-athlete experience.

Through the combined fundraising efforts of all athletic personnel, 3,196 people supported Gonzaga Athletics this year.

BDC IMPACT

ELLE TINKLE Redshirt Senior

BDC

Support from the Bulldog Club shows itself in many different ways, and proof of that couldn’t be more evident than in the story of women’s basketball player Elle Tinkle. Last season, the senior guard suffered a knee injury early in the year, and it ultimately led to surgery that effectively ended her season.

Tinkle was awarded a medical hardship by the WCC and will be back for her senior campaign. A big reason why she chose to come back is her love for Gonzaga and the support she has received during her career in a Bulldog uniform.

“The support of our fans and the athletic department has given us the opportunities to be successful, not just on the basketball court, but in school and in life.”

“The support of our fans and the athletic department has given us the opportunities to be successful, not just on the basketball court, but in school and in life,” Tinkle said. “We feel as if that has been a huge part of our success and what we’ve been able to accomplish. What excited me about coming back is being able to play the sport I love for a program I love, and play for a community that really cares about what we are trying to achieve.”

Tinkle’s thoughts on where the Bulldog Club plays into her decision and her love for Gonzaga were equally as strong.

“Being able to travel like we do and play the highest caliber teams, that helps us progress as a program,” Tinkle said. “And look at the student part of student-athlete, that support sets us up for success in the classroom, too. That is the main priority of why we are here and how we measure success.”

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. TO VIEW OUR DONOR HONOR ROLL, VISIT: www.gozags.com/honorroll

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

47

HOLISTIC APPROACH TURNING ENHANCED NUTRITION INTO SUCCESS Gonzaga Athletics is celebrating a year of unprecedented achievement by its student-athletes, ranging from four WCC team championships and multiple All-America honors on the field of play, to registering the highest departmental GPA on record and leading the nation in the NCAA Academic Progress Rate (APR).

The hard work and dedication of our 300-plus student-athletes is paramount in achieving these results. But those same studentathletes will also tell you that another key factor in their success is the new supplemental nutrition program Gonzaga Athletics implemented at the start of the 2014–15 academic year. At Gonzaga, we believe that a strong and healthy body and mind are fundamental to optimal sports performance, academic success, and long term well-being. And with the help of our amazing family

48

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

of benefactors, we endeavor to ensure that for each and every one of our student-athletes.

For a number of years, the NCAA has placed restrictions on how much food and beverage institutions can provide to studentathletes. Those restrictions were lifted in August 2014, providing schools the opportunity to enhance their nutritional programs and have a greater impact on the health and performance of their student-athletes. This enhancement is not compulsory, but instead optional and left to each institution to decide if and how to supplement the nutrition of its student-athletes. Our newly implemented supplemental nutrition program is crucial to our student-athletes’ success. Because of school, practice and workout schedules, these student-athletes often have to leave directly from training to attend class. Eating the right food at the right time is vital for enabling student-athletes to train, compete, recover and heal, as well as to think and learn.

“After training our Gonzaga student-athletes for 15 years, I’ve found that those who eat the best receive the greatest benefit from their workouts,” said Mike Nilson, former Gonzaga studentathlete and now leader of Gonzaga’s strength and conditioning program. “The supplemental nutrition program is just as important as our strength-training program. In fact, I tell student-athletes that I’d rather have them miss a workout than miss a meal . . . that’s how important nutrition is for performance and recovery.”

This new initiative does not replace the core three meals a day that our student-athletes enjoy with their Gonzaga peers at the new Hemmingson Center. Instead, it is meant to supplement

these meals with beverages and snacks that not only help build muscle and provide energy, but also are healthy. Offerings include a daily stipend for protein shakes and juice smoothies, lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, and healthy carbs.

The long-term health of our student-athletes is just as important as the short-term benefits that come from proper eating. As part of this holistic approach to enhancing student-athlete performance, wellness and longevity, a new physical space is needed to house and serve this program. The new Center for Athletic Achievement, introduced as a key campaign initiative for Gonzaga Athletics, will serve the athletic, academic and nutritional needs of the entire student-athlete population. Along with components to house Student-Athlete Support Services, a Hall of Fame, and a basketball performance and training center, the second level of this threelevel facility will house space and resources for the delivery of components of the supplemental nutrition program.

Anchored by the belief that proper nutrition before, during and after training can not only enhance fitness and recovery, but also enhance a student’s performance in the classroom, the new supplemental nutrition program is just another important piece to our continued commitment to achieving the goal of excellence and student-athlete success in the classroom, on the field of play and in the community. As with many of the impactful initiatives meant to enhance the experience of our student-athletes, this exciting new program is not possible without the generous, ongoing philanthropic support from our alumni, parents and friends. We ask for your continued support to offer this high-level and impactful opportunity to all Zag student-athletes!

RESOURCE TO

300-PLUS STUDENT-ATHLETES

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

49

STAFF & COACH DIRECTORY SENIOR ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF Mike Roth Director of Athletics Chris Standiford Deputy Director of Athletics/Chief Operating Officer Shannon Strahl Senior Associate Director of Athletics - Compliance & Student Services/SWA Steve Hertz Senior Associate Director of Athletics - Major Gifts Heather Gores Associate Director of Athletics - Programs/Title IX Coordinator Jared Hertz Associate Director of Athletics - Athletic Advancement Kim Vore Associate Director of Athletics - Business Operations Mike Roden Associate Director of Athletics - Student-Athlete Support Services Chris Johnson Associate Director of Athletics - External Operations Rob Kavon Associate Director of Athletics - Facility & Event Operations Rian Oliver Associate Director of Athletics - Compliance Todd Zeidler Assistant Director of Athletics Communications Gayle Clayton Administrative Assistant Director of Athletics

Melony Lloyd Administrative Assistant

50

FACULTY ATHLETICS REPRESENTATIVE Peggy Sue Loroz Professor of Marketing/ Business School

STUDENT-ATHLETE SUPPORT SERVICES Mike Roden Associate Director of Athletics - Student-Athlete Support Services Emma Dolcetti Director of Life Skills Development Steffany Galbraith Director of Academic Support Services

Shannon Reader Academic Coordinator

Danielle Moorhouse Graduate Intern - StudentAthlete Support Services Jordan Gasser Graduate Intern - StudentAthlete Support Services

COMPLIANCE Rian Oliver Associate Director of Athletics - Compliance

TBD Director of Compliance

EXTERNAL OPERATIONS Chris Johnson Associate Director of Athletics - External Operations Josh Cox Director of Ticket Operations

TBD Ticket Manager

Megan Pitzen Director of Annual Giving

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Lindsey Lessing Director of Marketing

TBD Account Executive

Meghan McNeil Assistant Director of Marketing

Mary Lynn Moshofsky Partner Services Coordinator

Tracy Garcia Program Coordinator

Tom Hudson Voice of the Zags

Renae Howat Program Assistant

COMMUNICATIONS

FACILITY AND EVENT OPERATIONS Rob Kavon Associate Director of Athletics - Facility & Event Operations

Todd Zeidler Assistant Director of Athletics Communications

Dan Gilbert Director of Facility & Event Operations

Barrett Henderson Sports Information Director

TBD Assistant Director of Facility & Event Operations

TBD Sports Information Director

Tommy Brown Athletic Turf Manager

Kyle Scholzen Assistant Sports Information Director

Cody Reeves Groundskeeper

Clement Lye Director of Video Services

KERMIT R. RUDOLF FITNESS CENTER Jose Hernandez Director

Jennifer Smelko Senior Graphic Designer

COMPUTER SERVICES Rob Hardie Technical Support Specialist

CORPORATE SPONSORSHIPS & BROADCAST - IMG Mark Livingston General Manager

Matt Stern Account Executive

Shelly Radtke Associate Director

Quinn Kesselring Assistant Director

Tyler Seth Assistant Director

Natalie Hastings Assistant Director

MAJOR GIFTS Steve Hertz Senior Associate Director of Athletics - Major Gifts Jared Hertz Associate Director of Athletics - Athletic Advancement Jennifer Porto Athletic Gift Officer

SPORTS MEDICINE TBD Assistant Director of Athletics - Student-Athlete Health and Wellness Jennifer Nyland Head Athletic Trainer

BASEBALL

CROSS COUNTRY/TRACK & FIELD Mark Machtolf Head Coach

Danny Evans Associate Head Coach

Edgar Anzaldo Assistant Coach

Pat Tyson Director; Head Men’s Coach

Mike Davis Assistant Coach

Patty Ley Head Women’s Coach

MEN’S TENNIS Brandon Harmon Assistant Coach

MEN’S BASKETBALL Mark Few Head Coach

MEN’S GOLF

Peter MacDonald Head Coach

Robert Gray Head Coach

Derek Siddiqui Assistant Coach

TBD Assistant Coach

WOMEN’S TENNIS Tommy Lloyd Assistant Coach

WOMEN’S GOLF

D.J. Gurule Head Coach

Brad Rickel Head Coach Steve DeLong Athletic Trainer

Donny Daniels Assistant Coach

TBD Assistant Coach

Victoria Fallgren Assistant Coach Eric Gunning Assistant Athletic Trainer

Leanne Stockton Assistant Athletic Trainer

Brian Michaelson Assistant Coach

John Jakus Director of Basketball Operations

Katie Johnson Assistant Athletic Trainer

Mike Hart Video Coordinator

Rachel Geoghegan Assistant Athletic Trainer

Riccardo Fois Coordinator of Basketball Analytics & Operations

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING Mike Nilson Strength and Conditioning Coach

Sonja Steele Men’s/Women’s Basketball Administrative Assistant

Lisa Fortier Head Coach

Nick Carlone Strength and Conditioning Coach

Jordan Green Assistant Coach

Kim Vore Associate Director of Athletics - Business Operations

Stacy Clinesmith Assistant Coach

Diane Nelson Head Coach

Dan Gehn Director of Rowing/Head Coach

Ashley Allen Assistant Coach

Mark Voorhees Assistant Coach

TBD Assistant Coach

WOMEN’S ROWING Glenn Putyrae Head Coach

CHEERLEADING Michelle Wilson Head Coach

Kari Durgan Assistant Coach

BAND Marisa Wortman Assistant Coach

David Fague Director

MEN’S SOCCER Einar Thorarinsson Head Coach Zag Area Code: 509 Paul Meehan Assistant Coach

Main Office: 313.4202 Main Office Fax: 313.5787 Sports Information Fax: 313.5730

Craig Fortier Assistant Coach

Sheri Fitzthum Staff Accountant

John Nelson Staff Accountant

MEN’S ROWING

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL

Travis Knight Strength and Conditioning Coach

BUSINESS OFFICE

VOLLEYBALL

Amanda Brown Director of Basketball Operations

TBD Video Coordinator

GU Ticket Office: 313.6000 Vito Higgins Assistant Coach

WOMEN’S SOCCER Amy Edwards Head Coach

Athletics Website: www.gozags.com Mailing Address: Gonzaga University Athletics 502 E. Boone Ave. Spokane, WA 99258–0066 Visit GoZags.com for updated directory and contact information.

Jennifer Rennard Anthony Travel 2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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VISION STATEMENT

PASSION FOR SUCCESS Success must not be defined simply by winning or losing games, matches, races, or contests. Instead, we believe there are many components that must coexist for success to truly be achieved.

Strong academics, social consciousness, accountability, leadership, commitment to community, and diversified greatness for all eighteen (18) of our sports comprise the foundation. It is the courage to take risks, to refuse to see limitations, and to sustainably prevail across all

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programs that define our success. It is the contribution of many individuals to create a deep and varied culture combined for a common goal—a broad-based, nationallyrenowned athletic program.

STUDENT-CENTERED PHILOSOPHY The student-athlete is central to our department. Through athletic scholarship, we are affording the opportunity to a uniquely-talented student to be part of a caring, supportive, disciplined environment where they will be formed into a better individual, a better leader, who in turn impacts his or her team, our institution, and the greater community during and after their educational careers.

We are educators of young people, and the teachable moments often happen in ways unrelated to the outcome of the game. It is in the process of winning or losing that our student-athletes learn discipline, work ethic, social responsibility, character, and what it means to be a teammate, a citizen, and a role model. It is through these educational experiences that we work to develop the mind, body, and spirit of each student-athlete so they can learn from failures and capitalize on successes. As coaches, as staff, and as a university community, we encourage and expect our student-athletes to reach beyond what seems possible. It is our responsibility to ensure that each studentathlete has the resources and support to rise to that challenge.

GONZAGA UNIVERSITY » DEPARTMENT OF INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

DIVERSIFIED GREATNESS PASSION FOR SUCCESS STUDENT-CENTERED PHILOSOPHY These are the driving forces behind the pursuit to distinguish ourselves at the highest level of intercollegiate competition.

MAGGIE JONES

DIVERSIFIED GREATNESS As a department, we have a responsibility to be equitable in the opportunities we provide our student-athletes and coaches because we expect greatness on multiple layers—individually, throughout each team, and throughout the department entirely. Isolated successes are not enough. In the absence of greatness at one or more of these layers, we fail in our pursuit. Society embraces a winner, and we believe achievement breeds inspiration—of the self, of peers, and of the community. Our student-athletes— our leaders—must inspire. And so they all must achieve. Without achievement, our student-athletes have less of an opportunity to impact our institution’s mission and have less of an opportunity to extend greatness beyond their sport.

Finally, without greatness throughout our department, there is no distinction between “us” and “them.”

2015 –16 ANNUAL REPORT

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Department of Intercollegiate Athletics 502 E. Boone Ave. | Spokane, WA 99258–0066 www.gozags.com